Family Matters
by Mirika
Summary: I was inspired by I dream of Kuropii by hikari kaitou for chapter one. a group of oneshots/mini-series revolving around the concept of the TRC group being a family. Kurofay oneshot-vine
1. Daddy's little girl

Disclaimer: If I owned Tsubasa, Sakura would eventually remember Syaoran so he would stop being an emo kid.

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Sakura crept down the stairs in their café/home, not wanting to wake anyone up. When she thought she hadn't stirred anyone, she tiptoed into the kitchen. She sighed loudly, feeling the load come off her chest. She turned and got a mug out of the cupboard and a teabag for a nice cup of tea. She turned and poured the already steamy water into her… wait, already? She looked at her water. Yep, it was steamy. But didn't that mean someone else was awake? She finished preparing her tea and went into the café area of the home. She was slightly surprised to see that the other person that was up was Kurogane. She made her way over to him, seeing that he had his own cup of the light liquid and was staring out into the black window. She thought that if she didn't say something, she would scare him, but if she did, she would also scare him. While she was trying to make up her mind, Kurogane snorted.

"Come sit down, you're already in here." He said, not taking his eyes off of the window. Sakura did as she was told, sitting across the two sided table in front of the red eyed man.

"Why are you up, Kurogane-san?" She asked, giving him a quizzical look. He looked at her finally while crossing his arms.

"I couldn't sleep. Thought some tea would help and here I am. I guess I have too much on my mind." Before the princess could ask another question, the ninja took a gulp and set his cup down rather loudly.

"What are you doing up, princess?" He said, giving her a slightly annoyed look. Sakura bit her lip, but summoned the courage to meet his eyes.

"I couldn't sleep, I was afraid I would have a nightmare again. The memories are affecting my sleeping patterns too, so I might stay up for a little while longer." She squeaked, watching the ninja as he listened. Kurogane stared for a little bit at the princess in front of him, who was indeed in her pajamas. He sighed, looking back out the window.

"Nightmares? About what exactly?" He said in spite of the princess. He knew she was going to explain sooner or later, might as well be the first to hear.

"Fai-san… and you…" She said, quieter than before. This made the ninja turn a little too fast.

"Really? What's happening in your dreams?" He said with a little sarcasm dripping from his words. She looked down at her tea, watching the steam rise of it slowly.

"You two get in a huge fight… And you end up hurting him really badly… and he ends up hating you… and then our group falls apart because Fai-san's injury… and then you get even more annoyed with him and… and…" She said, trying to be strong. Kurogane cocked his head slowly forward, eyebrows slightly raised.

"Princess." She heard, feeling a rough hand land on her shoulder. She looked up, noticing her vision was foggy due to tears. She quickly wiped them away to see an understanding look about the tall man's face.

"Even though I do hate the mage sometimes, I wouldn't hurt him so badly that it would drag us down. And even if that did happen… I don't think…" He said, trying to find the words he was looking for. The princess looked at him eagerly, feeling slightly comforted by his words. She grabbed her tea, taking a small sip as Kurogane removed his hand from her shoulder.

"Kurogane-san… do you tell us that you hate Fai-san even though you don't?" She asked timidly, trying to watch Kurogane's expression. He was turned back to the window, so she could only see half of his face.

"Tch…" He closed his eyes and placed a hand under his chin. He turned back to the princess, a slight smirk on his face.

"The dweeb wouldn't be alive if I didn't like him somewhat. He has nothing to do with me, so I let him live." Sakura creased her brow, watching as the older of the two take another gulp of tea.

"But… I want to know if you… like Fai-san… like… like a daddy likes a mommy." She said finally, her last words a little rushed. She closed her eyes, expecting Kurogane to yell and through a tantrum. Tell you the truth, she was kind of shocked to hear him chuckle a little.

"Daddy likes a mommy? Princess, daddies don't like mommies. They love them. And if I play that role, I would think it obvious. But seriously, the mage gets on my nerves a lot and can also be a very tempting person to strangle, but I don't hate him as much as I'd like I say." He said this quietly, ignoring the little blush on both their cheeks. Kurogane turned his head to the window, looking up at the moon. Sakura tilted her head slightly.

"So, you love Fai?" Kurogane shot his head back to face her, a surprised look plastered on his face. Then a calm, warm smile took hold of his lips and eyes.

"It took me a while to figure it out, and if you say a word…" Kurogane said in mock anger. Sakura laughed lightly as she felt him ruffle her hair.

"I won't, Kurogane-san! I promise!" She giggled, trying to get his hand off her head as he chuckled again. They stayed there a moment, sitting in silence while looking out the window up at the moon.

"…Do we have any grandparents…daddy?" Said a quiet female voice. The taller of the two looked morosely to his "daughter."

"Not on my side, both my parents were… are dead." He said, leaning back slightly in his chair. Sakura gave him a worried look.

"That's horrible, I'm sorry!" She said, gripping the edge of the table lightly.

"It doesn't matter. It was when I was young. Don't be sorry for it." Sakura sighed calmly. She had never seen this side of Kurogane before. He was so kind and his expressions to her were those of a father figure.

"Oh… Kurogane-san… why do you space yourself from us?" She asked, looking at said man.

"I don't want to get attached anymore than I have… I know that… I know that we'll all go our separate ways and end up the same people we were before we started traveling… and I don't want to feel…I don't know… I don't want to feel regret or despair when our group departs…" Sakura had not been expecting this answer. She thought it was something like, "I hate you guys" or "I have better things to do than communicate with an idiot and a couple of brats", but not this.

Kurogane drained the last of his mugs contents and set his cup down. He stared at Sakura, though not glaring to make her feel uneasy.

"This is our conversation alone… say anything to anyone…" he warned before getting up. Sakura smiled up at him, nodding in agreement.

"Goodnight, Kurogane-san… I won't tell anyone… I'm glad I met you tonight…" She said. Kurogane gave her another smirk and then turned his heel and vanished into the kitchen.

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The next morning Kurogane was the same grumpy man while Sakura was more cheerful than ever. Fai would bug Kurogane and in the end it was either Sakura telling Fai something to make him leave or telling Kurogane to not hurt Fai. Fai noticed this and dragged Kurogane away from their conversation off into the corner.

"What's going on with you of late, Kuro-puppy? You seem less… grumpy…" He said, looking up at the red eyes. They stared back into blue.

"That's none of your business, mage." He said, crossing his arms and looking back to the table. Fai followed his gaze and shot a look of curiosity towards the ninja once more.

"Does it have something to do with Sakura-chan?" He asked, a sly smile playing at his lips. Kurogane growled and closed his eyes.

"We talked. Big deal." Fai then proceeded to latch onto his arm.

"AW! How cute! You two had a little heart to heart? Daddy's girl, huh?"

"Shut up mage!" And this was followed by another morning chase and more nicknames pursued. Syaoran tried to stop them along with Mokona, while Sakura watched with a triumphant smile on her face, knowing her dreams and nightmares had nothing on her family.

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This is not a SXK story, those make me vomit. If you want those, go to someone else, for its against my religion. Now if you want Kurofai-ness… bukukuku… I got loads of that stuff! Any way, reviews are welcome, flames are ignored! I might add chapters onto this if you want. Like some mother to daughter talks or son to father or mother to son or other things like that. Nothing big, some might be related to other chapters...it depends on if you review!

Mirika-Puppy-san


	2. Mommy's big boy

Disclaimer: If I owned Tsubasa, Fai wouldn't have a twin. Instead, he would have a jealous brother who he locked away, thus getting Ashura. Kurogane would also have killed him already.

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Syaoran yawned slightly, making his way downstairs. From the time of day, he could tell that Kurogane was already at work and Sakura and Mokona were still asleep. He knew Fai would most likely be in the kitchen also, but when he was greeted by the older man looking out the window, his curiosity spiked.

"Fai-san? What's wrong?" He said, looking at the older man's sorrow-filled face. The blonde, not noticing he was there, jumped slightly and faced him with a small smile.

"You scared me, Syaoran-kun…" Fai said, placing a hand over his heart. Syaoran took a seat at the wooden table, watching as Fai resumed stirring his soup.

"I'm sorry, Fai-san. What was wrong?" He asked, half-expecting to get a smile and a lie. Fai stopped stirring, but since he had his back towards him, Syaoran couldn't see why or his expression.

"I'm worried…" He admitted. The brunette tilted his head to the side, a confused expression on his face. Fai turned off the old stove and removed the pot from the burner so he could serve the two in the room a meal.

"About what, exactly?" Syaoran asked. Fai opened a cabinet and placed two bowls to the side while he took the other two to the pot.

"…Kuro-daddy…" He said, pausing slightly to smile sadly over his shoulder. The half blind boy creased his brow, as if to ask why. Fai sighed, scooping out the contents from the pot into the bowls and sat down with them. Syaoran made for a spoon but the expression on Fai's face stopped him cold. The sadness was no longer hidden. His lips were slightly bent downward and his eyes were narrowed against his slanted up eyebrows. This was the look Sakura gave him whenever he told her he was going out to hunt for her feather. Fai looked up, smiling feebly as he reached for his own spoon.

"What's wrong with him, Fai-san?" Syaoran asked, finally grabbing his spoon. Again, the blonde sighed lightly and placed his elbow on the table so he could lean against his hand.

"He never eats before he goes out to work in those dirty engine factories and comes home to go take a shower then sleeps. He doesn't even get a full 8 hours in before he gets up. And now he looks paler than usual and he seems to be coughing a lot… I think daddy's getting sick on us, Syaoran-son." Fai said, the only part of amusement in his speech was the nicknames. Said son stopped slurping his soup to look at Fai's hand twitching.

"And worst of all, he doesn't say anything to you two, nor Moko-chan and… to me he's even harsher…" Fai said, showing his wrist for the first time as he rubbed it absentmindedly. There was a bandage wrapped around it from his mid-arm to his thumb. Syaoran shot him a worried look, pulling up Fai's sleeve. Fai smiled dejectedly again, watching his adopted son.

"Why did he do this, Fai-san?" He asked, giving the mage another worry filled look.

"I… I was bringing him a meal and I accidentally knocked the tea over on his legs… his legs are somewhat burnt and…" Fai cut himself off; ignoring the looks Syaoran was giving him and closed his eyes painfully.

"Don't get me wrong, Kuro-daddy is trying his hardest. He supplies us with more than enough money for this shelter and the food. He even bought us clothes and supplies for our trip… I'm just worried that he's overworking himself…" Fai said, removing his wrist from Syaoran's line of view. Said boy bowed his head in somewhat shock and concern.

"But he doesn't need to hurt you, Fai-san. I know that he's doing all he can for us, but…"

"Do you think it's wrong?" The blonde asked abruptly, cutting off Syaoran's explanation. Syaoran gave him a small shake of the head as to tell him he didn't understand. Fai looked down at his soup, watching the vegetables dance in the broth.

"…That…That I feel this way… for him…" the magician said barely above a whisper. The younger in the room gave Fai a surprised stare.

"I know it's wrong for me to do so and… and I know that it will only lead to pain… but I can't stop my heart from… from feeling these feelings…" Syaoran placed a hand on the mage's. Said mage looked up, tears teeming his eyes.

"A wise man once said, 'one will love another, even if they know the outcome won't be fruitful. That's how people are...' I'm sure that if you do love him, he will slowly return the favor." Syaoran said, smiling hopefully. Fai gave him a hopeful expression, and then bent his head down to look at the soup. Syaoran was about to take it back when Fai jumped up from his seat and ran to the boy's side to hug him. Syaoran was taken aback slightly.

"My son is so smart! He'll never let his mommy down!" Fai said, smiling past the one tear that escaped. Syaoran, shortly recovering from his shock, hugged the blonde back awkwardly. Fai released him, smiling down at Syaoran. He then rubbed his eyes furiously and returned to his seat. He was happy the rest of the day.

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The brunette boy turned to see who had just come through the door. There stood a grime covered, tired looking ninja with a face that said "I'm miserable and if you do anything to make it worse you'll be the first to eat my boot." Syaoran got up from his seat, striding over to the now sitting down ninja.

"What do you want?" Kurogane said though his voice somewhat cracking. Syaoran noted at how he did look a little paler than usual and his cheeks seemed a little flushed.

"You have to eat something Kurogane-san." The older of the two looked up at the determined boy and sighed.

"Fine… but I'm not getting up just yet…" He said, placing a hand on his forehead to lean on it. Syaoran flashed him a grin and stalked off into the kitchen.

"Fai-san, would you please feed Kurogane-san? He said he would like to eat something." Fai turned to him, a surprised look on his features. It was soon replaced with a happy smile. He bent down to Syaoran's hearing level so Sakura and Mokona could not hear him from across the table.

"Thank you for helping Mommy and Daddy out, Syaoran-son." He whispered, patting Syaoran lightly on the head before jogging out of the kitchen with a tray full of nutritious foods.

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Syaoran sighed at his remarkable luck. It had been three days since Kurogane came home to eat. He had been kept up all night wondering what had happened, since the next few days Kurogane refused to be removed from bed. He glanced at Fai who was stirring another big pot of stuff and sat down. Fai didn't turn to greet him, but kept the smile plastered on.

"Good morning Syaoran-kun!" He said cheerfully, grabbing some spices from the top shelf by the table.

"Mind me asking, but, how did it go with Kurogane-san?" Fai stopped reaching for the ginger and turned to Syaoran, a small but real smile over his lips and his hands over his heart.

"I don't think… I don't think I would've done it without you, Syaoran-kun, you helped us out a lot… I even convinced Kuro-pup to stay in bed until he felt better…" Fai closed his eyes, smiling wider. Syaoran smiled back, but gave a small look of confusion afterwards.

"What exactly did you do?" He asked, kind of afraid of the answer. Fai giggled, pulling up his sleeves to make sure they didn't get burnt.

"What mommies and daddies do to make up." He said, the mere sentence itself and the gushiness added onto it made Syaoran regret asking as he felt his face flush 34 different shades of red. Fai squealed lightly as he saw this, placing a hand over his mouth to conceal his cackles.

"Looks like Syaoran-kun gets his embarrassment and cheeks from his daddy." He said. Syaoran swore he could see hearts around his head. Sakura ran into the room then, carrying Mokona on her shoulder.

"Fai-san! Syaoran-kun! I'm sorry! I slept in again!" She said, letting Mokona jump from her arm to the table.

"Think nothing of it, Sakura-hime." Syaoran smiled at her, who smiled in return. Fai did a little dance of approval as he set down four bowls and one off to the side full of soup and a plate full of breads. Just then, said daddy came in the room, looking less pale and more like himself, only his hair was slightly flat on one side.

"Kuro-myun! You're not supposed to be up! Go back to bed!" Fai scolded, a mock pout tantalizing his lips. Kurogane cocked his eyebrow and sat next to Syaoran.

"I'm tired of eating in the dark upstairs." He said folding his arms. Fai squealed and looped his arms around the bigger man.

"No! You just wanted to spend some quality time with the rest of the family! How sweet of you, daddy!" Kurogane was about to scream something back, but just growled as a spoon was shoved into his mouth. Syaoran gave a small smile at his new parents; the morning antics a little quieter than usual as the small family enjoyed each other's company for once.

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Nyah nyah! I'm glad that's over with! –Paws at computer screen evilly- can anyone tell me where Syaoran's advice came from? Hint: it was someone in the anime whilst they were traveling back in time… Nyah! I hope you liked it!

Mirika-puppy-san (I'm beginning to wonder if I'm actually a dog or a cat)


	3. An argument for the better

Disclaimer: boy oh boy, if I owned Tsubasa, crack would be the plot.

Hyuuuuuu! Sorry it took me so long to update! My brain farted and shut down! Btw, this has Kurogane and Fai as a couple in it, so Syaoran and Sakura know about it. Thought I'd add that in there.

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"You didn't get anything healthy again, you stupid mage! What is with you and junk food!?" Kurogane was screaming. Again. This was the sixteenth time in this world that he was yelling about Fai being a sugar-fanatic. Said blonde was staring at the ground, a small smile slowly breaking off his face.

In this world, Kurogane had gotten a job as a police officer. He didn't need many requirements and since they were low on good officers, Kurogane was signed up the day he arrived in that world for just looking mean. Fai was basically a house wife and would go shopping for the family every week or so. Syaoran and Sakura didn't enroll in school, but they would meet people who asked them to join it.

"Ugh! The children are never going to be well enough to search for the goddamn feather! What the hell are they going to do with the candies and sweets?!" His voice was raising. Currently they were in an apartment-like building with paper-thin walls. They had been there for a month and people were already talking about the abusive father that lived there. The children and Mokona would go out now and then and would stop to be questioned about Kurogane. They would tell them that he was a good man, and the people would shake their heads, talking about how sad it was for them to still think that. Fai was even caught once, asked about how he put up with such a man or if he wanted something to be done about it. He just smiled and continued to walk.

"You are picky, Kuro-tan-"

"ENOUGH OF THE FUCKING NICKNAMES, PRAT! You are the most irresponsible man I know and I'M FED UP WITH IT! If you don't want me to strangle you right now, APOLOGISE!" Kurogane silently fumed for a second, staring at the lithe man. Fai smiled stupidly up at Kurogane.

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The kids and Mokona were coming home from the downtown area from asking about the location of the feather when they met Kurogane by the door. He stormed past them, his fists clenched like there was no tomorrow.

"Kurogane-san, what's wrong?" Sakura asked quietly.

"ASK THAT FUCKING MANSLAVE!" He shouted over his shoulder, ignoring the weird looks he received as he stormed into the parking lot and into his borrowed car for that world.

Sakura and Syaoran stampeded up the stairs after he drove away at 50 miles per hour in a 35 zone. They saw that the door was practically ripped off its hinges and that people were peeking out their doors to the children. Syaoran stayed behind to fix the door while Sakura and Mokona went inside to check on Fai. They gasped when they walked into the kitchen.

Fai was sitting on the ground, holding a very red cheek. His other fist was clenched on the ground, holding a broken bottle of wine. He didn't seem to notice that the glass was continuously cutting into his hand. The whole room was a mess. Wine and glass was everywhere and the table was overturned. The pictures Fai had put on the fridge from the last world was scattered all over the floor, mostly Kurogane's were ripped in half.

Fai looked slowly up to Sakura, revealing that he was crying. Mokona hopped down off her shoulder and wobbled over to Fai.

"What's wrong, Fai?" She asked, her little white paw touching lightly against Fai's swelling cheek. The man barely smiled and placed his unbloodied hand on her head.

"Nothing. Mommy and Daddy got into a fight, that's all. And daddy wants a divorce…" Fai looked back down to the ground, unable to hold his smile. Sakura went to his side and helped him up.

"Let's get you cleaned up, Fai-san…" She said quietly, leading him to the bathroom. Syaoran joined them after he fixed the door somewhat and leaned against the doorframe as he watched Sakura bandage up Fai's hand.

Mokona was sitting on Fai's shoulder, stroking his blonde hair comfortingly.

"Fai-san… what happened between the two of you?" Syaoran asked finally, breaking the odd silence shared in the broken family.

"We were talking… about the family's health…" Fai began.

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"_I'm going to the store, Kuro-chi. Since Syaoran-kun and the others are out, we should stalk up on things we might need for a week or so, ok?" Fai called from the kitchen. Kurogane grunted from his spot on the couch, barely looking away from his newspaper. Fai bit his lip lightly and tiptoed up to the couch and counted down in his head. _

"_OI! Why the hell-?" Kurogane shouted, but was silenced by Fai's kisses. Kurogane growled and threw the man off him._

"_Not now, Fai. I can't have you piling me with affection every waking minute." He said, picking up his newspaper and walking into their shared bedroom. Fai stared at his back, a look of dismay on his face for a moment, then he jumped up and pranced into the bedroom. Kurogane was laying on the bed, nose still in the newspaper. Fai walked by him and opened up the dresser drawer to search for their holding of money. _

"_How can you read this language, Kuro-min?" the blonde asked, not looking at his lover._

"_Enough of the nicknames. The symbols are similar to Japan's." He said curtly, obviously annoyed. Fai decided not to push it and put on his pack that looked similar to this world's girl purse._

"_I'll be back, Kuro-daddy!" He sang from the front door and skipped down the steps. _

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"When I got back, Kuro-damn was angry with the fact that I hadn't bought anything he liked and started screaming. He ended up hitting me and we got into a wine bottle fight." The children and family pet were shocked. They couldn't believe that Kurogane had actually hit Fai, let alone through wine bottles at him. Sakura remembered something suddenly and cocked her head slightly.

"What about the pictures?" Fai looked up at her, tears constantly flowing from his eyes.

"After the wine was thrown, he was yelling about how everything had to be 'my way' and ended up ripping up his pictures to make me 'happy'. Then he stormed out yelling something about getting out of here…" Fai bent his head low, retracting from Sakura to clutch his chest. Sakura felt instantly guilty that she couldn't do anything and pulled him close. Mokona hugged his shoulder while Syaoran bowed his head.

After a good 5 minutes of silent crying, Fai stood slowly and murmured something about cleaning up the kitchen. Sakura and Syaoran stood and went with him whilst Mokona cleaned up the medical supplies in the bathroom.

After about 30 minutes of scrubbing the wine off the walls and floor, a knock came to the door. Fai got up; knowing Kurogane wouldn't knock if he wanted to come in, and opened the door. He felt himself gasp when he saw who it was. Syaoran peeked out from behind the kitchen's frame. At the door was a man with long black hair and golden eyes. He was wearing a suit and was holding up a pendant.

"Ashura Tomoki. I'm with Child Services, I got a call this morning about an abusive father?" Fai felt his jaw drop. Syaoran dropped the broken glass bag he had and Sakura peeked around the corner too.

"Kuro-chan is not abusive…"

"Your cheek and hand tell otherwise. May I come in?" Ashura said, not waiting for an answer. He stepped into the kitchen where it was halfway cleaned up. Sakura was shielded by Syaoran, who glared defiantly at the man.

"Your children seem to say otherwise as well. How else does he abuse you?" He asked calmly. Fai bit his lip, walking into the kitchen after closing the door.

"He doesn't abuse any of us…"

"It's ok to tell me, sir, I'm here for a reason." Ashura said, pulling out a chair for Fai. The blonde declined and walked over to Syaoran.

"You two go ahead and go to bed; I'll be in after I have a talk with the kind man, ok? Oh, and tell Mokona to watch over Sakura-chan, Syaoran-kun." The boy nodded and took the princess into the second bedroom attached to the bathroom. Ashura eyed them as they vanished into the bathroom and turned slowly to Fai.

"Mokona?"

"Our rabbit. Now, what else would you like to falsely accuse the father of this family?" Ashura narrowed his eyes with a wider grin.

"I heard from one of your neighbors that he constantly screams at you and the children. He also stormed out not too long ago, am I correct?"

"You asked around the apartment building?" Fai asked incredulously, taking a step back. Ashura chuckled lightly.

"My, you're a sharp one. Yes, I did. But let's not talk about what I've done, but what you've done and what he's done." Ashura advanced slightly and Fai took a step into the living room.

"Well, since you insist, how about I make some tea?" Fai said curtly as he ushered Ashura to a seat.

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"How long have you known each other, Mr. Fluorite?"Ashura asked, setting down his tea and picking up his notebook. Fai kept his hands folded on his crossed legs, not moving a muscle.

"Two years." He said curtly, as much not-so-hidden-loathing tinge to his smile. Ashura acted like he didn't see it and continued writing.

"How long have you two been together?"

"Four months."

"And the children?"

"I adopted."

"When?"

"Two years ago."

"Oh? So how did that work out with the man of the house?" Fai crossed his arms and growled very much like Kurogane would.

"I met him the day I got the children."

"Really? Any reason why?"

"Not really. I bumped into him on my way to the adoption center and it was love at first sight." Ashura scribbled loudly on his clipboard and looked up again.

"When did he start abusing you?" Fai scoffed. Again, very Kurogane like.

"He never laid a finger on me or the children."

"Not until tonight?"

"He didn't even do this." Fai waved a hand close to the bruised cheek. Ashura smiled knowingly and adjusted his rectangular glasses.

"Sir, it's understandable that you don't want to blame your lover for the damaged he's done to you, but I need you to tell me the truth. I can help you sort out things."

"Well I don't think we need your help. Kurogane-san didn't do anything to harm us and if he did it was my fault. Now, if you would be so kind…" Fai stood up and Ashura followed suit, but he didn't move. Fai crossed his arms and stared boldly up to Ashura.

"Leave." Ashura narrowed his eyes and his smile grew wider.

"I'm sorry, I can't do that." Fai didn't move, but stared defiantly at his other world king.

"Why not? You won't get what you want from me." Ashura took a step closer to Fai and leaned into whisper.

"You can't hide a guilty man for long; I know how to find him." Fai chuckled bitterly.

"Oh, if Kurogane is my ninja, I know he'll avoid your evil clutches forever." Ashura snapped, he took a deep breath and turned on his anger towards Fai.

"Shut up! You don't care about this family and apparently you never have! All you care about it running home to that dumb little 'ninja' of yours!" Fai smacked the "king" hard, sending the hot tears from Fai's eyes.

"Don't you EVER speak of Kuro-san like that! He's more of a man than you could ever be, Ashura-o! He takes care of the children and looks after us all! He'd shed blood, sweat, and tears for us and what would you do if you were in his place?! NOTHING! I-" Fai was silenced by the man walking in. He folded his brawny arms and growled low.

"What's that demon doing in my house?" Ashura stared at him for a moment, then smiled.

Kurogane was drunk.

The raven haired man leaned against the door frame; arms still crossed and look still furious. Fai felt himself cringe away from the two when he saw the look in Kurogane's red orbs. Ashura, on the other hand, took a step forward and held out his hand.

"Hello, I'm here to talk about how abusive you are." He said, words lathered in sugary goodness. For a second, Kurogane didn't do anything but stare, then he moved his mouth slightly and spit. Ashura narrowed his eyes and brought his hand down.

"Well sir, no matter how stubborn you are, I'm going to have to take you with me." Kurogane let out a laugh that Fai felt himself blush to. That was the hottest 'yeah right' laughs he had heard from the taller man.

"Oh? I'm sure you think you can, little man, but you have nothing on me." Fai backed into the corner of the wall and sank down behind the armrest, knowing something bad was going to happen. Ashura advanced.

"Oh, I assure you, you are guilty of all crimes accused of you." Kurogane smirked and walked forward.

"Well, at least they'll know why when they're through with you, cuz I'm gunna bust your ass!!!" Kurogane said before slamming Ashura right between the eyes. The 'king' didn't have time to react and received a face full of Kuro-fist. After a few more blows, the man was out cold and thrown into the parking lot. When Kurogane came back up, Fai was standing in the middle of the living room, staring at him.

Kurogane knew this routine. It was the 'I'm blaming you, but since I feel guilty, I'm letting you off, let's go drink' routine. Kurogane walked forward and did something so out of sync that Fai didn't know how to react.

He embraced Fai. Tightly and warmly, he held onto Fai like there was no tomorrow. Fai stared at the wall behind Kurogane, shock filling his wide eyes.

"I'm sorry Fai." Another eye opener. Two things Kurogane never said in the same sentence. And Fai finally got to hear them.

"I didn't mean to hit you or get mad, and it's all my fault. I'm so sorry, and I can never make it up to you." He whispered into Fai's ear. The blonde felt tears weld up in his eyes and hugged the man in return.

"You don't understand, Kuro-chi. I love you, I know we make mistakes sometimes, and that sometimes its hard to forgive and forget… but I feel like the world's on my side…" He whispered back, burying his face in Kurogane's shoulder.

"I love you too." The older whispered back, holding him tighter.

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Hyuu! Love for my fans! Ok, after that, Syaoran and Sakura were told about what happened and Mokona made the two a romantic night out as a make up, and boy, did they ever make up –wink wink nudge nudge- ehehhe.. so glad this chapter is over. It gave me hell XX

Mirika-puppy-san :heart: XD


	4. Tell me

Disclaimer: I don't own.

No one seems to be reading my things of late. Is it because they're tired of my work or that they just don't care for it? –sigh- only they will know.

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"Will you listen to me for once?!" The blonde cried, making the other man in a red turtle neck stop in his tracks. He turned suddenly, fury on his face apparent.

"Listen to you?! That's all I ever do! You should learn to shut your mouth before anything else leaks out!" The raven haired man yelled, his fists clenched so tight his knuckles were white. The blonde in a blue sweater felt shock over come his expression as the father figure stared down at him.

Their adopted boy stood at the top of the steps, watching in dismay as he tried not to let the princess see the fight. She had accidentally fallen asleep in the wicker chair in the hallway. He was amazed and thankful that she had slept through the fight.

"First you want me to tell you about myself then you tell me to not talk to you! Make up your mind, Kuro-yell!" The mage shouted, following the now storming off ninja. Kurogane turned abruptly and grabbed Fai's collar, making the other yelp. The mage heard him exhale an angry breath, his red eyes glaring down at him.

"I have. I'm going out for a while. If you want to ever speak to me again…" He warned, letting go of his shirt violently as he turned around to put on his jacket.

"You'll have to come find me." He growled storming out the door without another word. Fai watched, eyes wide, as he jumped from the loud noise of the door slamming shut. He sighed, staring painedly at it, his mind buzzing with too-late-to-say thoughts. The blonde closed his eyes and ran a hand throw his hair and rested it on his cheek, thinking over what the ninja had said. He stood there for a moment before turning back around slowly. Doing so made him realize that the children were at the top of the stairs. His breath caught in his throat as the brunette boy and he caught eyes.

"Syaoran-kun…" He whispered, feeling like his heart was breaking. Said teenager frowned, unable to break the eye contact. The mage smiled sadly, working his way up the stairs.

"We…we should probably put the princess to sleep…" he offered weakly, his voice cracking slightly from the hidden stress. Syaoran stared at Fai for a little while before he nodded, standing up from his seat on the top stair. The magician picked up Sakura easily and carried her off to bed with Syaoran in tow. The mother figure of the house blanketed up the princess, stroking her bangs out of her face lovingly.

"…Will you need me for anything tonight, Fai-san?" Syaoran asked at the doorway. The blonde felt his smile twitch as he looked back to the brunette.

"I'm not sure. Do you think I'll be busy tonight?" He asked with unintentional bitter, walking out of Sakura's room so they could let her sleep in peace. Syaoran followed Fai back down the stairs, his answer still being contemplated. The mage sighed, knowing defeat.

"Well, since you're already down here, why don't we have some tea?" He asked his smiling forged. The brown eyed boy sat down at the table, staring at the broken man across the table. They sat in silence while the water began to boil, staring at one another and the table. Fai couldn't take it any longer, unable to stand the weight of Syaoran's gaze.

"How do you think school will go tomorrow, Syaoran-kun?" He asked breathlessly, urging himself to keep his tears back.

"I'm not sure." He said blankly, watching as the mage avoided his glace. Fai sighed and sniffed, running a hand under his left eye.

"It was my fault, Syaoran-kun, he'll be back by dawn. We just fought over… a simple ordeal…" He explained, his smile growing weaker with each word.

"I heard the entire argument, Fai-san." Syaoran said, watching the mage flinch.

"Oh, you did, huh?" He asked disbelievingly, rubbing his other eye before standing.

"Why weren't you in bed?" The mage murmured, taking the whistling kettle off the stove.

"I don't know… but… I'm sorry that Kurogane-san got angry at you." He said, trying to cheer up the mother figure. Fai laughed sourly, pouring two cups full of tea.

"Don't be sorry, it's not your fault." He whispered, giving his supposed child a cup. Syaoran stared down at it for a moment, then returned his gaze back to the chef of the house.

"From what I understand, it's not your fault either." The mage looked at him surprised. He sank down in his seat, waving the boy off.

"Don't be silly, I'm the one that made him mad." He said airily. Syaoran gave him an unconvinced look at the magician took a sip of the hot tea.

"No, you didn't. It was what happened to you." The teen said, reminiscing what the wizard had said.

"_Kuro-tan, what do you want for lunch tomorrow? You do have to work, right?" Called the blonde from the other room. The ninja grunted in reply, placing his manga down. Said man stood and walked into the kitchen where his 'son' was drying the last plate. The boy bowed to both of them, bidding them both goodnights. He walked up the stairs only to be caught by curiosity._

"_What's this?" Asked the warrior curtly, looking over the magician's shoulder. Fai blushed lightly as he pulled his sleeve down, laughing sheepishly._

"_What's what, Kuro-rin? I thought you were reading." He said, smiling up at the father figure. Kurogane growled, pulling on the mage. Syaoran didn't exactly see what the ninja did, but the magician jerked away, rubbing his shoulder lightly._

"_Is that a bruise?" Asked the swordsman, his tone demanding. Fai smiled cautiously back._

"_I ran into someone today and they gripped me hard so I wouldn't fall." The blonde said, stepping back from the warrior. Kurogane glared him down, folding his arms angrily. _

"_You're lying to me again." He growled as the lithe man straightened his stance. He didn't reply but instead turned away, starting to set plates in the cabinet. The other snarled in fury and twisted the blonde around, holding his arms securely. Syaoran winced when Fai did, feeling sympathy pains in his shoulders._

"_You never deem it right to tell us anything, do you?! You bottle everything up and pretend like it's all a dream! Wake up, asshole; learn to take responsibility!" A loud slap rang through the kitchen, making Syaoran gasped inaudibly. Kurogane let go of Fai, taking a step back from him. The ninja's cheek was now red and stinging, his eyes closed. The wizard glared at him before he felt his body freeze in shock from what he just did. The ninja slowly turned to look at Fai, his eyes now blazing._

"_K-Kuro-rin…I-" the mage sputtered, taking a step towards the tall man. The ninja brushed off his hand and walked into the other room, putting his shoes on._

"_W-where are you-"_

"_I can't stand to argue with you when you won't listen to reason."_

"_B-but I didn't mean-"_

"_I'm sick and tired of listening to your lies." He stood up straight, reaching over the top of the couch to grab his red sweater and pulled it on. Fai let out an exasperated whine and stomped over to him._

"_Will you listen to me for once?!" The blonde cried, making the other man in the red turtle neck stop in his tracks. He turned suddenly, fury on his face apparent._

"Syaoran-kun…" Fai whispered, bringing the boy out of his reverie. The brunette smiled sadly back, noticing that the bruise Kurogane observed was present on the mage's wrist. Syaoran placed a hand on it, thinking that's what Sakura would do. Fai watched him surprised, not aware the tear that escaped his eye.

"Kurogane-san is right; you shouldn't hide yourself from us. We only want what's best for you. He was just showing it in his own way." The boy explained slowly, not wanting to see the magician cry.

"Whenever you get hurt, Kurogane-san gets really angry and becomes even madder when you don't tell him the truth behind it. He cares for everyone's wellbeing, you included." Fai stared back at him, understanding dawning on him. He smiled back at the boy, nodding slowly.

"Thank you, Syaoran-kun…" He said, removing his hand to stand. Syaoran watched him and was taken aback when the blonde wrapped his arms around him, pulling him into an embrace.

"I'm glad I have such a smart son." He whispered into the brown hair, making the boy smile and hug him back. Fai pulled away first, grabbing his empty cup from the side of the table and placing it into the sink.

"Now finish your tea; you have school tomorrow." The mother figure warned, wiping his eyes briskly as he turned towards the sink. Syaoran nodded and did so, bidding the mage goodnight once again.

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"You're here early, Kurogane." The store manager commented, unlocking the doors to his store. The gruff man grunted, suppressing a shiver as he stood in the snow.

"Yeah, I didn't go back home last night." He said unintentionally. The stores clerk eyed him as he entered, taking of his coat.

"Trouble with the misses? I never expected you to be the guy to get married so soon in your life." Kurogane growled deep in his throat at the fact of marrying the blonde, but concealed the want to beat the manager to a living pulp.

"It's alright, I understand. Not a lot of people get along in marriage like me and Arashi do." He said, and the swordsman could've sworn he saw hearts floating around his head.

"So! What's the issue between you two? Maybe I could help?" The man asked as Kurogane put on his work gloves.

"That damn mage thinks lying is the only thing to solve our problems. Can you believe that?" He grumbled, mostly to himself. The man laughed airily as he leaned against the counter, watching as Kurogane began to pull boxes off the top of the shelves.

"Well, are you lying to her?" He asked, completely oblivious that the person they were talking about was a dude. Kurogane, not really paying attention to this fact, sighed and set a heavy box down roughly.

"Not a damn word that comes out of my mouth is fake around the blonde." He said, looking back up at the shelf, contemplating which box to take down next. Sorata whistled lowly, bemused by the ninja.

"You're into blondes? I would've never guessed." The warrior shot him a glare, earning another lighthearted laugh.

"Hey, you continue working while I go put the open sign up." The manager walked around the counter and over to the glass door, flipping the sign around. Kurogane listened to him open the door, partially amazed that they had costumers so early in the day. He didn't like the sound of the person Sorata was talking to; it reminded him too much of the mage. He growled, feeling his temper rise just thinking about that smarmy guy.

He sighed, realizing he didn't know where the items in that particular box were supposed to go. He walked out from behind the wall, the box on his shoulder.

"Hey, where are these things supposed to-" Kurogane felt his breath get caught in his throat; Sorata was indeed talking to the mage. It wasn't just that, either. The blonde had blue flower barrettes in his hair, pulling it to the side, and a very fluffy jacket. The trim was a white while the poofy fabric was a deep blue. His pants where tight, a little too tight for the ninja's liking, and they seemed to be outlined with the girliest flowers the damn magician could find. He smiled brightly past Sorata, as if the whole ordeal last night never happened. The manager blinked and turned to look at Kurogane.

"Hey. This Blondie was lookin for you, Kurogane." He said, smiling. The ninja set the box down on the counter, staring at the lithe man next to his boss.

"What for?" He asked, placing a hand on his hip. The mage didn't say anything, but smiled wider before taking off running towards the ninja. Sorata let out a surprised yelp as the blonde collided with Kurogane, knocking him off his feet abruptly. The warrior, having lost his breath, stared up at the wizard in disbelieve.

"W…what the hell, mage?!" He coughed, his eyes a little unfocused. The magician smiled widely before nuzzling into the ninja's neck.

"You left so unexpectedly and I was so alone! I made you a lunch and thought you would want it so I just came over! I didn't think you would be working so early, Kuro-tan!" He rambled, earning a vein popping in the swordsman's forehead. Sorata smiled behind them, folding his arms appealingly.

"So this is your wife? She's a real cutie-pie, Kurogane." Both the men on the ground looked up surprised, one out of curiosity and the other of disgust.

"Wife?" Said the blonde, tilting his head then looking at Kurogane.

"C-Cutie-pie?!" The ninja spat, morally appalled. Sorata blinked, unfolding his arms.

"What? Aren't you two married? By the way you complain, Kurogane, I would've thought that from the moment you walked in here." The warrior cringed slightly from this information, seeing Fai's eyes light up visibly.

The lithe man waved, putting on that girly act of his that made Kurogane want to vomit then and there.

"Oh, silly! We're not married yet!" He said, earning a skeptical look from the swordsman.

"Yet?!" His outburst was completely ignored, for Fai had returned his face to the crook of his neck.

"I'm so happy to hear that you talk about me at your work! For all the fighting last night I thought you never wanted to talk to me again! I was so upset that our boy had to come drink tea with me before he went to bed! Shame on you for keeping him up past his bedtime!" the mage ranted, pouting cutely at the man he refused to let go of. Kurogane narrowed his eyes, placing his hands on the other's arms.

"What are you doing, keeping the kid up?" He snapped, shoving the blonde off so he could sit up. Sorata took a sudden step back, waving his hands in front of his face.

"Whoa, whoa, WHOA! You two aren't married but you already have a kid?!" He asked, slightly flabbergasted. Kurogane, who seemed unable to detach the blonde from his side, sighed and rubbed his head in frustration.

"The kid isn't ours."

"So you adopted?"

"Well, kind of."

"But I thought you had to have a legal spouse in order to adopt."

"Kuro-puu lives out of the country! He adopted him there!" The ninja shot a glare at the mage, not believing he wouldn't stop calling him stupid girly nicknames in front of his boss. Sorata 'huh'-ed and looked curiously at the pale man now clinging to Kurogane's arm as the taller man stood.

"So, pretty thing, what's your name? I've never once heard 'Kuro-puu' mention it." Kurogane let out an exasperated groan, wanting to deny the fact that his nicknames were catching on. Fai, on the other hand, smiled widely and looked up lovingly to the warrior.

"I'm Fai." He said, leaning into the ninja's arm more. That's when the swordsman had had enough.

"I'm going to have a word with the mage, could you excuse us?" He demanded, and before he could get an answer, Kurogane dragged the thin man to the back of the store.

"What is your deal?! Are you freaking psychotic?! Last night you slap me across the fucking face and now you're clinging to me like your life depends on it! What is with you?!" Snapped the ninja, shoving the blonde away by his shoulders. Fai took a step back, tilting his head to the side with a sheepish smile.

"I'm sorry." He said, making the red eyed man's stomach leap.

"W-what?" He asked, shaking his head slightly from the shock. The mage walked up to him and wrapped his arms around his torso. He buried his left cheek into the warrior's clothing, staring at nothing in particular.

"I'm sorry I lie to you…" He murmured. Kurogane stared down at the mop of light hair, wondering what brought on this transaction.

"And I'm sorry that I didn't tell you about me being hurt. I understand that you were only trying to look out for me…I'm really sorry…" He whispered, holding in some of the most overpowering tears. Kurogane sighed, wrapping his arms around the mage. He didn't say anything. The blonde looked up, somewhat surprised by the acceptance. The red eyes looked deep into the blue ones, seeing real emotions brimming around the corners.

"It's alright. I understand." He said calmingly. The mage smiled up at him, feeling relief swallow his insides whole.

"Is she pregnant?" Sorata asked, having come out of nowhere. Kurogane felt his blood boil, turning his head to the man who just appeared out from the side of the wall.

"NO! HE'S NOT!" Fai laughed cutely, noticing a small tinge of blush on his lover's cheeks.

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Fai flopped on the bed, laying down on his stomach as he swung his legs slowly in the air. He had taken off his shoes and pants but kept his knee length socks on as he watched the snow come down from the window. Kurogane sat at the end of the bed on a trunk, yanking off his boots. The blonde turned to look at him, remembering something.

"I noticed that you never once told him I wasn't a girl." He said airily, seeing the man in black tense.

"I thought I did." He mumbled, going over to his other boot to undo the latches. Fai sat up on his elbows, smiling his cat like smile at him.

"Nope, you actually went along with the adoption story too." He mewed as Kurogane got up and set his boots next to all the other shoes.

"So?" He said, finally turning around. He didn't look at the blonde, but instead stared at the trunk while he started to unbutton his pullover. Fai's smile grew, his eyes narrowing dangerously.

"So! That means that you wanted him to think that we were getting married and planned to have children!" He exclaimed proudly as if he just figured out the greatest mystery story. Kurogane's eye twitched, his jacket being flung into the closet.

"I never said that." He said, pulling off his second shirt. Fai watched him, seeing a small blush on the ninja's cheeks. Kurogane sat down on the bed next to the blonde, setting the alarm clock on.

"No…" The mage said, making the ninja turn to look at him. The lithe man got up from his pose and crawled seductively over to rest his finger on the tanned man's nose.

"But you were thinkin' it."

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n0n I realize that I suck! Woo! I had a great time writing this! To me it seems kinda… not… but I think that you can imagine what they did after that. Also, I imagined Fai in pink panties at the end to! O.o kinda weird, don't ya think? I might draw that later and put it up on dA…

Mirika-puppy-san


	5. Birds and Bees

**Disclaimer**: If I owned Tsubasa, there would be a lot more Kurofai in the latter chapters.

Ok! I couldn't decide on which of my stories to update first on, so guess what? I chose to sex it up!

But please, if you have any idea of which one I should update (and not this one, this is its update) please PM me or comment. Thankies!

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"Nyah… Kuro-chu…" Fai mumbled passed the ninja's lips. The warrior ignored his weak pleas, pressing against him a little harder until the mage had to brace himself against the counter with his elbows. Kurogane ran his hand up the magician's back whilst his other rummaged through the counter drawer that they told the children never to go in. His eyes shot open when he felt something that didn't belong.

He pulled away from the blonde, looking down at his hand. Fai giggled, standing up straight against his lover.

"First you don't comply with me and then you're begging to go away. Something's got your moods swinging, Kuro-hunk." Fai purred, draping his arms across his boyfriend's shoulders. The ninja grunted, showing Fai the cylinder container.

"Did you buy this?" He asked abruptly while he threw in some regards to the blonde getting off of him. Fai placed a hand on the jar, picking it up out of the warrior's hand and examining it himself. It was a glass container with a blue lid and it had this world's writing on it in big, puffy letters. Inside was white and apparently bubbly. The mage looked up at his lover with a questioning look.

"No. Did you?" He asked, his smile plastered back on when he thought of a big, mean looking man going into some store to buy such a girly item. The man of his daydream snorted.

"Hell no. What's it doing in here?" He asked, casting a sidelong glance at their drawer of knickknacks. Fai 'hmmm'-ed and placed his other hand on his chin.

"Maybe one of the kids put it there?"

"Or that perverted meat bun."

"Kuro-yam, you shouldn't scold Moko-chan about things like that if you insist on having sex on the counter before the kids come home!"

"Be quiet. I'm just making a suggestion." Fai giggled at the ninja who was now blushing cutely. He looked at the jar once more, his eyes brightening by every second.

"I think it's a sex toy!" He said, meowing in victory. This, however, made the warrior choke on his own spit.

"Are you kidding me?! Why would that kid or princess go and buy a sex toy?! I could understand if it was that Manjuu but the kids are too young to understand how they are used!" Kurogane yelled, wild hand gestures to go along with his rant. Fai pouted, looking down at it once more.

"Well, I think that Sakura-chan is clean, no matter what. Though… you know, Daddy…" He sniffed, getting his drama on. Kurogane inwardly groaned in irritation, not wanting to deal with his antics.

"I think our little boy is growing up!" Fai sobbed, rubbing his eyes to add to the effect. This made the ninja cough again, his eye twitching slightly.

"Are you suggesting that kid uses our things?!" He asked appalled as images flashed threw his mind at a million miles per second. It made him want to vomit. Fai clapped his hands mockingly.

"Bravo, Kuro-sex, you have succeeded in reading my mind! Give the doggy a chew toy!" He laughed as he noticed his lover's eyes flicker with disinterest.

"We'll see who the doggie's chew toy is!" He growled, lunging back down on his mate as the blonde squealed with regards to helping him defeat the evil, blood thirsty hound.

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"Kurogane-san, Fai-san! Sakura-hime, Mokona, and I are back!" The brunette called, noticing that his parents weren't waiting at the door like usual. He got a sinking feeling in his stomach that something wasn't too good. He told the princess to stay close to him whilst the white, fuzzy creature stayed perched on his shoulder.

He walked in with an uneasy stomach, entering the living room. Kurogane, with a different shirt on than before, was sitting on the couch reading. The boy sighed, relief washing over him. Though the detail about the shirt couldn't elude him.

The ninja didn't look up from his mangayan, though the brunette teenager knew he knew that they were there. Their father did have a watchful eye and all.

Speaking of families, the mother figure of the group danced into the room with an apron on, smiling brighter than imaginable. He too was wearing a different shirt than before.

"Welcome home, my lovelies! It's almost time to eat!" he said in a singsong voice. All the overjoyed behaviors of the blonde were starting to creep Syaoran out. What had Kurogane done to make him so happy? He shook his head, not wanting the thoughts to go to awry, and smiled at the princess.

"We should get started on our studies." He said with a smile, which was immediately returned.

"Alright." She said as Mokona hopped onto her shoulder. The princess and her friend ran up to her room, singing a cute song on the way. Syaoran smiled, and was just about to join them when he was called over by Kurogane. His stomach sank to his left boot, and he somehow knew he was in trouble. Slowly he came over to sit by Kurogane, looking down at his hands.

"Y-yes, Kurogane-san?" He asked, noticing that the warrior was still reading.

"Wait until he gets in here." He mumbled, flipping the page. The only other 'he' in the house was the current chef, who was humming sweetly as he took off his apron. He slinked over to them, sliding down the couch to sit on the armrest nearest to Syaoran.

"For once I wish you would call me by my name, Kuro-yum. Or at least say 'wait until mommy gets in here'." He said, doing his best impersonation of Kurogane. The ninja ignored that and closed his book abruptly, startling the youngest there.

Fai smiled a cat like smile and looked down at Syaoran.

"Syaoran-son, what do you know about sex?" He asked, making both the other men in the room blush.

"Why, of all times, does it have to be now that you decide to be straightforward!?" Kurogane spat, willing away the blush. Fai giggled, patting Syaoran on the head.

"With this kid you have to be or he doesn't quite get it." He purred, ignoring the pout from his 'child'.

"Well, since you've broke the ice with a freakin hammer, why don't you ask him your other questions?" The ninja snapped, folding his arms in his fury. Fai laughed nonchalantly and waved at his secret lover.

"Shh! Syaoran, why don't you tell your parents about what you know?" He said, that cat like smile refusing to leave his face. Syaoran continued to blush, not really knowing if he should tell them anything at all. After a few moments, Fai fake whistled and lounged on the back of the couch.

"You know, you being quiet is a dead give away that you do know something about it." He said, ignoring the glare from the ninja. Syaoran closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"Well… I know that you have to do it in order to produce a child…" He mumbled very quickly, blushing deeply as his parental units looked at him. The ninja scratched the back of his head, looking away.

"Yeah… that's true…" He murmured, avoiding the mage's eyes. Fai meowed and sat up straight, grabbing his legs while they were crossed.

"Yupp, but sometimes it's just for fun! Or even, it can be forced on you, but that's called rape, and that's not the subject we're here to talk about." The blonde said in a matter-of-fact voice. The warrior buried his face in his hand.

"I have no idea how you said that with a straight face." He muttered, his eyes closed tightly. Syaoran laughed nervously, looking at his father figure. Fai smiled wider and draped one arm around his 'son's shoulder.

"Now, Syaoran-kun, sex is good, very good if you're with the right person and excellent if you love the other person. But sometimes it's not as…fluid, for lack of better words, as you would like." He held up the container of white, fluffy stuff.

"So you might need some lubricant!" He added, smiling the widest Kurogane had ever seen.

"Your father and I found this in the 'do-not-touch' drawer. Since you were the last one to go shopping, we assumed that you were the one that bought it. So, we just want a simple yes or no, did you put this in the drawer?" He asked, the cat like grin glued to his lips. Syaoran, who was now as red as the dirt on Mars, stared with wide eyes at Fai.

"Y-yes, b-b-b-but I d-d-d-didn't know th-th-th-that-" He was silenced by a nimble finger being placed on his lips. The blonde, still smiling, looked at Kurogane.

"I see. Did you intend on using it yourself?" He asked, with motherly eyes batting down at the teenager. This made Kurogane want to vomit, but he let his vision retreat to the boy's pupils and saw that he was about 10 times more embarrassed than our lovely ninja. He shook his head at lightning speed. Fai purred, pulling away from the boy and his smile turned triumphant.

"Well, that being the matter, why did you buy it?" He asked, giving Syaoran a curious look and a tilted head. Kurogane growled lowly, wishing the mage wouldn't be so cute. Syaoran sighed, trying to calm down his cheeks.

"W-well, I-I noticed th-this in the hot chocolate section of the store…s-so I thought it was cream that Sakura likes in her hot chocolate…w-what was it called? Marshmallow cream! That's right! I bought that for her hot chocolate!" He rambled, blushing insanely at the thought of the marshmallows being used on the princess. He would certainly have to shank himself for the mere thought. Fai blinked slowly, then laughed out of embarrassment.

"Well! Kuro-chu, we certainly jumped to conclusions, didn't we?!" He asked a bit rushed, standing up. Syaoran did as well, bowing to both of them before he took off at mock 5 up the stairs. The blonde turned to his lover, who had returned to have his nose in his book. The blush had refused to leave his cheeks. Fai smiled wryly, slinking over the back of the couch and onto his lover's shoulders.

"Hey, honey, you know… I think we can still use that 'marshmallow' stuff for what we thought it was used for." He purred, kissing the ninja on the cheek. Kurogane snorted, flipping the page.

"I think you're burning supper." He mumbled, making his lover jump up with a yelp to go turn off the stove.

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Shabam! I don't think that I ended this well, but I think that if you disagree you can tell me uhm… I do believe that kinky stuff is in the do not touch drawer. 7w7 come on, you know you're curious

Mirika-puppy-san


	6. Merry Christmas, Kurowoof

Disclaimer: If I owned it, my Christmas would be VERY merry.

Just a little something I thought mah buddies would like

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"Kuro-tan! We're going to open presents!" Fai called merrily, Mokona perched on his head.

"I don't care!" Was his reply. Fai huffed, placing his hands on his hips. Why was that ninja always so stubborn? He turned to Sakura, who just entered the room in a night gown. He smiled immediately, studying her as she yawned.

"What time is it, Fai-san?" She asked cutely, rubbing her eye.

"Four in the morning!" He replied cheerily. Sakura's eyes widened immediately, looking down at the tree. She gasped at the site of a huge pile of presents. Syaoran slowly joined them rubbing his bed head away.

"What is it, Sakura-hime?" He asked, before he looked at her beaming face.

"The presents are under the tree! Just like in those songs!" She cried, grabbing Syaoran's hand before bowing down next to the gifts. Fai had to remove a box from the girl's hand and Mokona's paws to stop them from opening them.

"Hehehh… now you know we can't open them until Daddy gets in here." He laughed sheepishly, turning to the doorway to the upstairs.

"Kuro-rin, if you don't come down I'm going to have to hide your sword again!" Fai threatened, smiling wider. It didn't take long before the ninja was stomping down the steps.

"Alright! I'm here! Why can't you open up the presents without me hovering in the room, you bloody mage?!" He barked, folding his arms. Fai giggled; the sword hide-and-go-seek was always the key to getting Kurogane to join them. He giggled louder when his thoughts hit the pervert button. He opened his eyes to realize the others were staring at him. He smiled wider, taking the warrior's arm.

"Woo! You can open them now, kids!" He sang, dragging Kurogane to sit on the couch with him. The gifts under the tree were mostly to Syaoran, Sakura, and Mokona. Fai got a couple and so did Kurogane. Satisfied with what they received, the children ran up the stairs to use the presents.

Fai slumped back down on the couch, holding hot chocolate delicately.

"Did you like what you got, Kuro-mewmew?" Fai purred, laying on the ninja's shoulder. Kurogane would've shook him off if he didn't feel endangered by the steaming liquid hovering mere centimeters away from his lap.

"I guess." He grunted, looking at the wrapping paper scattered all over the floor. Fai smiled, looking up at the warrior.

"Did you get everything that you wanted?" He asked, leaning a little closer. Kurogane looked down at him and raised an eyebrow. He smiled a small smile at Fai's hopeful look, bringing one of his arms around the back of the couch.

"Depends. My gift might not want me back." He commented, closing his eyes in mock frustration. Fai giggled, kissing the ninja's cheek.

"You're silly, Kuro-pyon, you already know I love you." He purred. Kurogane looked down at him, a smug look on his face.

"I guess so." He grumbled, letting Fai snuggle closer.

"Merry Christmas, Kuro-yam."

"Why do you say that?" Asked the swordsman pulling the blonde a little closer to his face. "I already have you, how much happier can I get?" Fai laughed, pushing against the black haired man playfully.

"You're cheesy, Kuro-woof!" He laughed, setting his mug on the table as Kurogane laid him down on the couch.

"Shut up." He said, kissing his lover gently.

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that was short and fun to type. Merry Christmas, everyone!


	7. I'm scared

**Disclaimer:** if I owned Tsubasa, you would have a chapter everyday.

OH MY GOD. I'm so sorry for keeping everyone waiting, and to those who want other chapters NOW, you'll have to wait a little longer. I'm really sorry, but inspiration and time don't really coincide with me anymore. At least not when I have a free moment. Goddamn.

By the way, this is taking place in Outo country, with the café.

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Fai pranced into the room, holding a cup of tea on a tray. He glided his face down to peck his loved one on the cheek.

"Kuro-chu! I made tea for you, darling!" He purred, nuzzling the tan man's cheek. Said man growled and stopped sharpening his sword, setting it down on the couch.

"Do you have to do that in the open, mage?" The ninja grunted, taking the tea. Though he was thankful the blonde made him tea now and then, he got really agitated when he brought it to him like a housewife would. The mage laughed.

"One, Kuro-spanky, both the kids are asleep, two, this is our living room; no one will see our intimacy!" He cooed, handing his lover the green liquid. Kurogane sighed and took a sip, enjoying the warmth… only until he actually tasted the tea.

Fai pouted as Kurogane spat out the tea. "I knew it." He heard the ninja say as he looked to the bottom of the cup. The red eyes met a mound of sugar and his face twisted.

"Sweetened." He coughed, rubbing his mouth. Fai laughed, leaning on the back of the couch.

"You know, Kuro-min, people usually only make that face when they taste something sour." The ninja glared at his companion and was about to spout off something like 'what the hell have I said about liking sugar; I don't!' but heard a tiny squeak of a voice come from the door way.

"K-Kurogane-san…" The two men looked toward the door only to see their 'daughter', hand covering mouth in hesitation. Her green eyes looked to the side, a light blush sliding over her cheeks.

"C-can I speak with you…?" She asked, shuffling her naked feet insecurely. Fai smiled warmly at her and stood straight.

"Yes you can, Sakura-chan, I'll go check on the laundry." He said, smiling happily at Kurogane before taking his leave. The ninja sheathed his sword after setting the syrup of a tea down and turned to her.

"What is it, hime?" He asked, looking at her eyes that would not meet his. She blushed more and hesitantly walked toward the couch before sitting.

"E-eto…" She hummed, looking at the tea. The raven-haired man raised an eyebrow as she fiddled some more.

"I-I… I'm scared…" She whispered, making Kurogane strain to hear her. The ninja blinked.

"Why didn't you get the kid, or the mage?" The swordsman questioned, feeling uncomfortable in these family matters. Sakura swallowed hard and closed her eyes.

"Syaoran-kun's asleep and Moko-chan is with him, and I didn't want to bother Fai-san with my fears… and… you protect all of us…so… I thought…" She trailed off, fiddling some more. Kurogane blinked again and sighed.

"So…scared …Of what?" He asked to humor her. She looked at him slowly.

"The oni… they come out of the shadows…right?" She pointed to the darkness around the fireplace. Kurogane felt relief wash over him and grabbed her shoulder reassuringly.

"Hime, the oni don't attack anything but oni-hunters, and they won't come into this house unless they want to be killed by my hands." He said, trying to make her feel better. Sakura looked at him fully, eyes looking like they were going to pour out, which made Kurogane feel even more out of place. He felt like he was going to die of awkwardness when she leaned on him, much like a daughter would when seeking comfort from her father. He patted her back tentatively, looking away.

"B-but I don't want… either of you to get hurt… either…" She whispered, washing all his uneasiness away. He blinked, looking down at her. He remembered that one battle where he had 'died', where the oni had cut him up so badly that he had died in Fai's arms. But the next morning he woke up, perfectly fine. Fai about threw him out the window he tackled him so hard. That was when they got together, but… Kurogane shook his head.

"I don't plan on dying, and neither does the kid. That incident won't ever happen again. I promise." He said softly, resting a hand on her back. She believed him, but she couldn't suppress it anymore; he reminded her of that time, and she instantly reverted to sobbing. She grabbed his shirt tightly, letting him know she trusted him to stay alive, but she couldn't stop. They sat like that until Kurogane felt her shoulders slowly stop to shake. He pulled away from her slowly.

"Hime…" He called softly, only to see she had cried herself to sleep. He smiled gently, picking her up easily. He exited the living room on to the way of the upstairs.

"You sure know how to be a father." Fai smiled, holding a basket of his laundry. Kurogane looked at him, feeling his cheeks heat up before looking back to the way he was going.

"I'm only trying to make this trip go as smoothly as possible so I can get home quicker." He grunted, listening as Fai set down the basket and came closer. The mage stopped right in front of him and placed a hand on his secret lover's cheek.

"That's not what it sounded like to me…" He smiled.

"Check your hearing then." Kurogane growled, but didn't do anything to separate the pale hand from his skin. Fai stood on his toes, avoiding Sakura to give the ninja a kiss.

"Well, I know you want to go home…" He stood back, smiling up at the swordsman before looking at the 'daughter'.

"But I think we _all _want this to last a little longer." He whispered, stroking her hair out of her face. Kurogane raised an eyebrow and sighed, looking away. Fai giggled, grabbing the laundry as he watched the tan man take up the princess, obviously going to tuck her in. The mage smiled to himself, touching his chest gently.

"Just a little longer…"

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I know, I know, it sucked. But hey, I updated! **THIS IS NOT A SAKUKURO STORY! THOSE MAKE ME VOMIT.** Another note; the time Kurogane 'died' that he was referring to was my oneshot 'time to let go'. I meant to put that in that story, but I forgot. Yes Kurogane came back to life, the Tsubasa family members all remember, but they don't speak of it; too traumatizing. Lol

-bowbow- please accept my apology once more, I'm sorry I haven't updated in a while.

Mirika-puppy-san


	8. What you're cutting into

Disclaimer: Fanfiction. FANfiction.

This is a mixture of the world's rekord and infinity.

warning: self mutilation occurs.

A lovely reviewer gave me an idea. This is for them. –Smiley face- this has nothing to do with the kids. this is a thing mommy and poppy have to figure out for themselves. :heart:

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He collapsed against the sink, dropping the bloody razor blade. He panted, glaring down at the mess he had made. The skinny man slipped down to the ground, huffing harshly as he leaned against the toilet. He stared at the wall, his arms limp as the blood drained. The blonde hair in a mop atop his head was stained by the red liquid dripping from the filled sink. He was about to laugh and give up when he saw the tan hand reach into the pool in the sink and grab the blade. He followed the hand down to the person connected to it and saw it was Kurogane. The ninja smiled wickedly as the razor blade became a sword. He felt his eyes widen in heartbroken shock as the swordsman raised it above his head, ready to strike.

Fai woke with a start, sitting up in bed. His eyes were wide and his breath was in short intakes. He rubbed his forehead, wiping cold sweat that had collected there away. He threw the blanket off his legs, ignoring the cold air that hit his bare midriff and knees. The blonde staggered into his bathroom, feeling the want to puke grow more as he continued to be upright. He was about to do so when he heard a knock on his bedroom door. The mage swallowed harshly and meandered over to the door, throwing on a wide smile before opening.

"Yes?" He cooed quietly. Kurogane stood there, shirtless, with folded arms. Fai blinked, then remembered it was in the middle of the night.

"What are you doing up, Kuro-chu?" The mage asked politely as he leaned against his door. He was honestly relieved to see his ninja no longer smiling like the one in his dreams had. He was actually restraining really hard to keep from pouncing on him and asking to be held until morning in the other's strong arms. Kurogane glared down at him, placing a hand on the door.

"I heard you screaming in your sleep." He grunted softly, not wanting the children to wake. Fai froze for a moment, instantly hiding his left wrist behind his back. He smiled again, allowing Kurogane to sidestep into his bedroom.

"I… had a nightmare." He said hesitantly. Kurogane looked at him disbelievingly and closed the door behind him. That made Fai feel even more uneasy. He was closer to his bathroom, and closer to finding him out. The blonde smiled curiously up at Kurogane and pretended to be more concerned with why the tan man was in his room.

"Is there something I can help you with, Kuro-daddy?" He asked. The raven haired man narrowed his eyes and grabbed the lithe man's shoulders and pinned him to the wall, making the blonde yelp.

"K-Kuro-?"

"Stop that." He commanded. Fai looked at Kurogane with wide, frightened eyes as the swordsman bent down and almost grazed his lips. Red met blue, anger met fear.

"You're lying." He hissed in an annoyed whisper. Fai felt his heart stop as the taller reached for his wrist and he panicked.

"No!" He cried, pulling away from the ninja, but Kurogane kept his hold. Fai struggled with him some more, only to be pulled off his feet and flung onto the bed. The blonde couldn't concentrate long enough to get away, because the father figure of the group climbed on top of him, fastening Fai's wrists to the bed with his hands. Fai thrashed about some more, being stopped only by a kiss. It was rough and forced, but the blonde stopped flailing instantly.

Sure, Kurogane had kissed him plenty of times, but they never went as far as this. That scared Fai even more, but his body wouldn't pull away. Kurogane had managed to get the smaller man's shirt off. Fai blushed up at the tan man, only to realize too late he had been tricked. Kurogane was inspecting his wrist.

"What is this, mage?" He showed the man his own wrist, one that held a brand new slice across the joint. The wizard laughed nervously, looking away.

"I-I cut myself while cooking…" He stammered. The ninja growled.

"I've cut myself while cooking too, mage, and I have never successfully done it this way." He snapped, holding his arm tighter. The blonde let out a small whine, the pain growing with every ounce of strength out on his arm.

"W-what do you want me to say?" He asked angrily. His voice was dripping with panic. Kurogane shoved his arm back to the bed.

"The damn truth, you prat!" He raised his voice, close to a yell. Fai looked worriedly at the door, hoping the kids were still asleep. He turned to the man on top of him, smiling irritably.

"That is-"

"SHUT UP!" The ninja shouted. "That is NOT true, mage! You did this on purpose!"

Fai blinked, staring at Kurogane. He figured it out. Damn.

He looked away, not knowing what else to say. Of course he had done it on purpose. He didn't know any other way to get rid of the fear and anguish he held inside him. He was shocked when he felt the ninja's grip loosen.

"So… you know that it won't be permanent." He rumbled. Fai looked at him, eyes shooting open when he saw the look on his partner's face. Pain hidden behind eyes, as if to say 'you're not hurting just yourself…'

"K-K…Kuro-rin…" He whispered, worry replacing fear. The taller man watched as Fai sat up. The pale man placed a hand on his companion's cheek.

"I… I never intended it to be." He smiled sadly, leaning into Kurogane's chest. The ninja sighed, wrapping his arms around the skinnier.

"I figured that. Don't do it again." He commanded. Fai sighed miserably.

"I don't know what else to do."

"Come to me." He heard the rumble of a voice murmur. The blonde looked at the swordsman.

"To… you?"

"I will help." Kurogane smirked, kissing Fai. This time softer, full of all the emotions he dare not say. Fai blushed, but accepted. He wrapped his arms around the taller's shoulders as he laid him back down.

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He stirred awake. He soon figured out that moving his pelvis hurt, and was about to complain why when he looked up to see the cause. He blushed vibrantly; memories of last night flooding into his mind like the dam broke loose.

He bolted upright, afraid that if the children noticed Kurogane wasn't in his room… He dare not think of what would happen. He bent down and kissed his new lover's cheek.

"Wake up, Kuro-pi, it's morning." He cooed, watching the red eyes open slowly to greet him. Kurogane must have thought of the same thing, for he too bolted out of bed.

"What time is it?" He questioned, pulling his shirt on.

"Around 8." Fai smiled, before remembering why his bathroom was off limits. He yelped to himself and ran into the small room, slamming the door behind him. He looked at the sink, seeing his razor. He bit his lip as he turned on the water, trying to get the dried blood off of it. It didn't take long for Kurogane to knock on the door.

"You alright, mage?" He heard him ask. Fai smiled nervously, although there was no need to.

"J-just a moment, Kuro-hunk!" He called, hearing a satisfying grunt on the other side of the door. Hehe, he loved giving the other nicknames; he was glad his latest had such an effect.

Fai couldn't quite get rid of the stain, so he shoved the razor as far back into the sink cabinet as he could. He slammed the door on it as soon as Kurogane opened the door. Fai turned to him, smiling brightly.

"You're never patient for long." He sang, standing up straight and grabbing a towel. Kurogane smirked, pulling Fai closer. He rubbed noses with the smaller man, smiling against the pale lips.

"It's because you're still not wearing anything." He grumbled. Fai went red, looking down to confirm. Sure enough, he was as nude as the day he was born. The blonde laughed nervously, allowing the ninja to kiss him once more before taking his leave for breakfast. Fai smiled, hoping this connection would last forever.

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Fai opened his eye, angry at life. He remembered when that had happened. Not even three worlds ago he was so happy. If his creation, Chii, had just told him a little later, his agony wouldn't have been so great. That and that clone had to just rip his eye out. He growled irritated. As he sat up, he saw the door open.

"What do you want?" He asked curtly, seeing the ninja walk in. The red eyes met blue, unspoken emotions met anger.

"You must be hungry. You haven't eaten since yesterday." Kurogane said simply, walking over to the bed where the magician sat. Fai didn't move, no matter how badly he wanted to. Kurogane sat next to him, knife in hand. Fai turned away, hearing the metal meet skin. He didn't realize he had made Kurogane stop. The swordsman looked at the mage, wondering why he made him hesitate. Fai looked at him, his anger washed away for some reason. Kurogane could see tears hidden behind those eyes.

"Don't?" He asked, no, he pleaded. The raven haired man watched him.

"Why not?" He questioned, making Fai flinch. The blonde bowed his head.

"It's not fair."

"What's that?"

"You can cut yourself, but I can't." He whispered, holding tighter onto the tan man. The ninja had to hide a smirk. He brought the pale hand up to his lip, kissing it gently.

"I'll do anything for those whom I care for." He murmured, looking at the blue orb. Fai felt his chest tighten, but he bowed his head as the ninja returned to what he was doing. As he was offered the darker hand, Fai hesitated.

"Would… would you drink my blood if you had to?" He asked, his lips not moving from the skin. Kurogane placed his other hand on the other's back, pulling him closer so he could whisper in his ear.

"I would drink anything you offered." Fai felt his cheeks heat up, but reverted to just drinking off the wrist.

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Kurogane awoke to the sun's rays. He looked down, seeing Fai sleeping next to him. He smiled to himself, sitting up. He leaned over, kissing the mage's forehead before getting out of bed. He got dressed, watching the blonde sleep over his shoulder. He frowned; he realized this would most likely be the last time Fai would let him into his room. He rubbed the back of his head, beginning to take his leave when he felt a tug on his shirt. He turned around to see Fai holding onto him, his eye leaking with tears.

He saw the wizard's lips moving, as if to say something, but he heard nothing. Kurogane bent down, holding him once more.

"Ku-Kuro…" He sobbed into his lover's shoulder. "I-I…"

"Don't say anything, mage." He ordered softly, running his hand over the silk hair. "I know. And I promise… no matter what happens or what we say…" He pulled away to look Fai in the eye, a small smile on his lips.

"I won't let you stop being one that I protect." That was the first time Fai smiled only for Kurogane.

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I don't care if this is OOC. This is fanfiction, after all. I hope you like it n.n I'm beginning to think I don't like it myself. 7.7


	9. Baby Mine, Don't you Cry

Sakura placed her hands on her hips and smiled in triumph. She looked over the just folded laundry to watch Kurogane and Syaoran dueling each other a ways off. She smiled brightly when Kurogane offered the teen a hand after he fell over. She was so caught up in her viewing that she jumped slightly as a hand was placed upon her shoulder.

"Sakura-chan, are you finished with the laundry?" Fay asked, having just come out of the borrowed house of that world. The girl sighed in relief as she saw it was only him and picked up the basket.

"Why yes, Fay-san, I'm done." She said airily, turning to him. Over his shoulder she could see Mokona bound out of the house toward the two men in the field, yelling happily about something unrelated. She looked back to the taller.

"I suppose you're back from shopping?" She asked. Fay smiled back, only seeming a bit strained.

"Yes, only something didn't go according to plan..." He said, itching his nose while laughing nervously. Sakura tilted her head to the side and was about to ask what it was when she saw a little boy of about 5 years old walk out of the door timidly. Her green eyes widened when she noticed that this boy was a younger version of someone present. There stood a boy, disheveled from playing in a yard or the mud, with a messy head of pure black and spiky hair. His shifty red eyes darted about the playing family with hesitant caution. The only difference between the one fighting in the yard with the boy was that this child's bangs hung so loosely he could barely see passed them. He instantly walked to Fay, and would've fooled anyone that he didn't give a damn about the rest of them if he had not hid his face in the mage's pants. The blond gave a small and apologetic smile to Sakura before looking down at the boy and placing a hand on the young one's head.

"...He... he needs some place to stay..." The wizard said solemnly, looking back to the teenager with a frown.

"... But he won't tell me why..." Sakura blinked and looked at the younger version, who was still trying to burrow into Fay's knee. Meanwhile in the field, Kurogane stood up straight and wiped his brow. He sheathed his sword and looked over to Sakura and Fay, blinking.

"Hey... who's that kid, manjuu?" He asked curtly, nodding toward the tuft of hair that was barely visible. Syaoran also looked at the boy while Mokona jumped about happily.

"It's you! It's you! It's a mini-you!" She sang as she bounced off of the teenager's shoulder. Syaoran and Kurogane exchanged a curious look before starting off toward Fay. Said man bent over while placing a hand on the boy's back.

"Hey... hey... stop rubbing at it, it'll get infected..." He cooed, touching the pale arm. The hand stopped rubbing a cut on his other forearm and ruby eyes looked up to blue.

"B...But.. it.. hurts..." He said with a pout, and Fay couldn't help but smile. He danced his nimble fingers against the cut.

"I know it must hurt, but you have to let us fix it up before you can do anything to it..." He was about to continue explaining the healing process when he saw Kurogane's boots come into view. He froze and looked up slowly with a small smile, seeing the other two men giving him a stunned look. Syaoran's was of delighted surprise, whilst Kurogane's was just pure shock. Fay stood up straight and the little one took refuge behind his leg once more. Fay began to explain.

"I found him on my way home, he was just sitting in an alley and... Kuro-san, he's just a boy!" The desperateness in his voice only served to rub Kurogane the wrong way, and the child's mimicked surprise just made him angrier. He grabbed the front of Fay's shirt and was about to start yelling when the boy let out a heart wrenching sob.

"No daddy! No! Don't hurt mommy!" Fay and Kurogane were shocked into stilled silence. They both looked down to the boy, who was now crying. Syaoran and Sakura exchanged glances as well. The boy grabbed Kurogane's pant leg.

"D-don't h-hurt m-m..mommy..."

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"And off it goes!" Fay said as he pulled the boy's shirt off over his head. He smiled as the child just seemed to laugh. The red eyes looked back up at him.

"...Mommy..." He began. Fay felt something twitch in his body that made him feel very uncomfortable, but he hid it with a smile.

"Yes, dear one?"

"...You never say my name anymore..." He said with a frown, busying his fingers by holding onto a hem of the shirt. Fay bit his lip as he paused getting a wash rag.

"...Why do you think that is?" He said with nervousness, wetting the towel. The boy pouted angrily.

"Because you forgot." When he said this, Fay looked over to the boy. He smiled.

"Why would I forget something so important to me?" He said as he got on his knees in front of the boy, who was sitting on the toilet seat. The boy's pout turned from angry to extremely sad.

"...You never said I was important before..." He whimpered before more tears fell. Fay's expression fell. He simply wrapped his arms around the tiny one, cooing softly to him.

"Your name, little one... is a name I'd never forget..." He closed his eyes, knowing the other owner of this name was standing right outside the door, pretending not to care enough to do what he was actually doing.

"Your name, my dear one, is that of a fighter, of a strong will and strong heart... It's a name I could only forget in another dream where I have never met you..." He pulled away with a smile, wiping the boy's eyes gently. The child hiccuped and looked at Fay.

"T...Then what is it?" He asked softly. Fay only smiled wider.

"Kurogane."

The man outside the door flinched when he heard his name said fully by the mage for the first time since the blond and him met. He tilted his head slightly to gaze inside the room. The boy only cried more.

"M...Mommy! Mommy!" He sobbed out of relief. Fay smiled wider and pulled the little one in his arms. When the child was still burying himself into Fay's shirt, the blue eyes darted to the door where Kurogane stood. The ninja frowned when eye contact was made, telling the wizard they needed to talk. Fay smiled sadly as his gaze fell to the floor.

"Dear one..." He said softly. The little Kurogane looked up as he wiped his nose on the back side of his hand.

"Can I trust you to finish undressing and to get in the tub by yourself?" Fay asked slowly. The boy saluted the mother figure.

"Yes ma'am!" He said roughly. Fay turned away and pretended to busy himself with cleaning up. He didn't watch as the child struggled out of his clothing and only turned to look when he heard the boy submerge in the water. Fay blinked and when the child didn't come back up, he rushed to the side of the tub.

"Kurogane?!" He asked hurriedly and was about to reach in when the boy came up and squirted water from his mouth into the blonde's face. Fay gasped and turned away as the boy laughed. The blond joined in his laughter whilst wondering why this Kurogane was so playful compared to the other. Said other blushed slightly when he peered in the room, seeing the child so happy with Fay. Said wizard felt hairs on the back of his neck rise, knowing that the warrior was still paying attention to them.

"Did I ever tell you how much I cared about you?" The blond asked with a smile. The boy shook his head, water flinging about slightly. Fay giggled a little and stroked the wet hair; he didn't want to lie to the boy and say he had always felt this way, but if this was truly another version of Kurogane... would it then be lying?

"I care so much it hurts my heart... so much I worry when you're gone and never want you to leave when you're here..." Fay kissed the pale forehead and closed his eyes as he rested his lips softly against it.

"I care so much I think I could never not care." The boy felt more tears threaten to fall, but he didn't let them. Instead he took hold of Fay's hand with both of his.

"Mommy! You said you'd never leave me! But you left me!" He began, the vain attempt at trying not to cry failing miserably. Fay looked to the boy with a small frown.

"Leave you? But I'm right here."

"No! Before! Daddy.. he said you left... he said you weren't ever coming back! I was scared! I didn't want you to leave!" The boy wiped his nose again and looked to Fay.

"I never w-wanted daddy to h-hurt you... but.. h-he did... he always blamed you for being mad... he n-never hit me... he never w-wanted to hit me OR you... but.. h-he did anyway... he was... s-so s-s-sad... when you left... h-he said he'd c-cut off his own arm if it w-would stop the p-pain..." Fay looked at the child in surprise and then over to the door to where Kurogane stood.

"D-daddy... said you w...went away... you went... an...and he was going... t-to go get you..." The boy looked up, new tears springing from his eyes.

"D-daddy! Daddy!" He started to scream, eyes squinting shut as the tears fell out freely. Fay began to panic. He looked over to the door and before he could say his name Kurogane was in the room as well. The boy looked over to the tallest man and reached out his arms. The ninja's eye twitched, but he sighed and knelt down next to Fay, having the child encircle his arms around the tan neck.

"Daddy! Daddy!" He whimpered softer into the black shirt. Kurogane shot an awkward glance over to Fay, who merely shrugged with a smile. The boy slipped off the man's shoulders until he was just resting his forehead against Kurogane's chest.

"D...daddy... why... why didn't you come back?" The black haired man flinched once more before looking over at Fay. The magician leaned against the wall as he stared back at the two, his smile slipping off.

"...I..." Kurogane began, feeling incredibly awkward. "...I'm back now... aren't I?" He said slowly, making the boy's hands tighten in the shirt. Fay leaned forward again and placed a hand on the child's back.

"Hey... there's no need to cry now, little one... we're both here..." He looked to Kurogane. "We'll always be here..." He said absentmindedly, making Kurogane glare at him. Fay blinked and bit his lip. He knew he shouldn't make such promises, but now it was too late. The boy looked up to Fay blankly, before smiling a smile that mimicked Fay's true smile. It almost made Kurogane double take. He looked to Fay with a serious look, saying they NEEDED to talk. Fay nodded. The little Kurogane allowed the warrior to sit up again on the side of the tub next to the blond. The child exchanged a look between his 'parents', before slapping his hands together.

"What are you waiting for?" He asked impatiently. Fay and Kurogane blinked, looking at each other and then the boy. "Wh...what.. do you mean, Kurogane?" Fay asked awkwardly, only saying his name as little as possible. He didn't like the sound of Kurogane's name when it fully rolled off his own tongue. the boy puckered out his lips.

"You give each other cooties!" He said in a matter-of-fact tone. Kurogane's face went scarlet whilst Fay laughed nervously. The blond looked slowly at his companion, blushing pink.

"...W...why would we...?" He began, but the pout on the boy's face told him not to question it. Maybe this world Fay and Kurogane always made up with a kiss, and that's why... He saw Kurogane'sexpression change from embarrassment to aggravation, meaning he must've thought the same. Fay smiled sheepishly and leaned forward.

"...O..of course..." He said softly, slightly wishing that if this meant anything to Kurogane that it would've happened somewhere else at a different time. This setting wasn't exactly the most romantic. Oh well, Fay thought, at least he got to fill SOME part of his own fantasies.  
Kurogane clenched his teeth when he saw the mage move closer to him. He'd rather not have kissed the blond in front of a squirt, but... wait... he WANTED to kiss the blond? He looked to Fay fully, seeing the blush there. Now that he thought about it... he wasn't sure he wasn't too unwilling to fulfill the boy's request. He also leaned forward, though he knew it would surely be a target of the mage's teasings later. Unfortunately, he hadn't had much practice with kissing, you know, being a ninja and all, so he had to make sure he was kissing the right place. In order to do that, he placed a hand on Fay's cheek and matched their lips perfectly. The kisses lasted only a short moment, but both Fay and Kurogane felt butterflies tearing it up in their stomachs. The boy had long since lost interest in his 'parents' and moved his attention to the floating boat in the water. The adults parted, briefly looking at each other. Fay's eyes seemed to be glossed over in an unfamiliar haze, whilst Kurogane's mimicked it. They both blinked, blushed deeper, and separated quickly, looking in opposite directions. Fay was thankful that the boy hadn't been looking for that part.

"Ah! D-do you like that toy?" He asked hurriedly, getting down on his knees beside the tub and laying over the edge with his stomach so he could be on eye level with the 5-year-old. The little Kurogane smiled widely. "Yeah! Boats are neat!" He said, giving the toy to Fay. The mage smiled and looked over to where Kurogane was sitting, but blinked when he found no one. He looked about the bathroom, and realized the swordsman was gone.

09090909090909090

"All tucked in?" Fay asked, having the boy sleep in his bed. They had only rented a house with three rooms and a guest room, one of them taking the guest room, which was Fay, and now the boy was snuggled up tightly into the oversized bed.

"Yeah... Hey... mommy... why are you guys in a different home?" He began, looking up to Fay. The blonde smiled.

"Our friends wanted your daddy to stay here... they found me in a not very nice condition and helped me out..."He smiled and leaned over the boy to rub his nose with the tiny one.

"We were coming back, but you found me." The child blinked.

"OHHH! If that's why, why didn't you guys tell me so? I think I left before the baby sitter came, but if you were just leaving..." He yawned just then, showing Fay he was only keeping the boy up. The magician smiled softly and leaned down to plant a kiss on the little Kurogane's forehead.

"Sleep tight, my little one, you can meet our friends at breakfast tomorrow." He whispered. The dark haired child nodded and yawned again, closing his eyes. Fay smiled and ruffled the spiky hair, which was now much more tame since it had been washed and now the back was hanging down in whisps. He sighed, noticing more and more how much the child looked like him as well as he did Kurogane. He stood then, and turned. The blond started somewhat when he saw Kurgoane leaning against the door frame.

Kurogane looked at the child slowly before his vision fell on Fay. He flicked his head to the side in a gesture for the lithe man to follow before exiting.

The blond closed the door and folded his arms. Before he could say anything, Kurogane stepped closer.

"Whatever he says... whatever he does, keep in mind; that kid is not mine!" He hissed vehemently. Fay felt his heart skip a beat and he frowned, looking down.

"I know, but... we should just play along! He's only a boy, and he doesn't know any better!" He whispered back, making Kurogane growl.

"His real parents are out there and they're probably looking for him! We shouldn't keep him for very long in case you get attached!" He explained quickly, making Fay frown deeper. He fell into a moment of silence before looking up to the warrior once again.

"Shouldn't we talk with the children as well?" He began, but Kurogane shook his head.

"No, not now. They don't need to know." He said in a hushed tone, the two adults now being the only ones awake.

"I would think so... but... why don't we tell them he just-" Kurogane placed a hand over Fay's mouth, his eyes darting to the door behind the blond. He mouthed that the kid was still awake. It was then Fay heard muffled footsteps slowly making their way to the door he leaned against. Fay looked in a panic up to Kurogane. He was more startled than before when the ninja pulled him swiftly away from the door by wrapping his arms around the smaller waist. Unable to just stand and keep his balance Fay had to wrap his arms around Kurogane's neck. The door handle was wiggling by then. Kurogane knew that something like their conversation just doesn't cut off for no damn good reason and he could tell Fay knew it too. By the time the door started to slowly creak open, Kurogane shoved his lips against Fay's, making the magician whimper slightly. Blue eyes fluttered closed just when little Kurogane peered out. He made a noise of disgust and quickly closed the door.

"Can't parents NOT show love like that?" Their heard through the door. Fay giggled slightly and pulled away from Kurogane, having something to say to that.

"Hey, it's how you got here, so stop complaining!" He said in a singsong voice, his arms subconsciously tightening around Kurogane's neck. He blushed when he realized just WHOM he was talking about and looked back at the taller man. He gaped like a fish when trying to come up with words, but unable to find any, he simply stared. He blinked when he realized Kurogane hadn't let go. He looked down briefly to see the tan arms still encircling his body, looked up to see his sleeved arms still wrapped around the tan neck, and looked higher to see Kurogane giving him a look between seriousness and embarrassment.

"...Mage..." He said deeply, and Fay realized he could feel the ninja's heartbeat against his chest. He was shock that it was beating faster than usual, almost matching his own heartbeat.

"...K..Kuro-chu..." He said softly, his eyes slowly drooping closed as their lips once again met.

0909090909090909090

"Mommy, why's daddy sleeping on the couch? Did you two get into another fight?" Fay stirred awake, his arms shifting under the pillow so he could sit up slightly to see who was poking his cheek. His eyes focused on the little boy. Having a brief moment of hazy memory, he didn't know what the hell the kid was talking about. Once it all clicked back into place, he sat up quickly and threw the blankets off.

"A-AH! D-Daddy, yes!" He began blabbering, standing. The boy suddenly reached his arms up. Fay paused in his stance of going to his own room to get clothing, noticing the arms were directed to him. He shifted about, not knowing what the child wanted. It then jogged his memory that some children like to be picked up by their parents until a certain age. He smiled and swooped down. He lifted the boy up, the child's bottom resting against his arm and the thin arms wrapping around his neck for balance.

"Shall we go say good morning?" He said with a smile.

--

Syaoran dried his hands on the towel. He looked over to Sakura, who was now frying some of this world's food.

"What do you make of that child?" He asked her quietly, leaning over the pot of steaming soup. The girl blinked and frowned.

"I don't know, maybe he's this world's version of Kurogane-san..." She said lightly, looking over to Syaoran. He shook his head.

"His hair and skin is slightly different..." He looked to the sky.

"More importantly, he seems to think Kurogane-san and Fay-san are his parents..." Sakura nodded and looked over to Kurogane, who was still sleeping on the couch in the other room.

"I wonder what happened last night between them... Kurogane-sanseems a little worn..." It was just then they saw the small boy in a hugeshirt come trotting in, the large blanket he slept with dragging behind. He knelt in front of Kurogane and watched him a little. It didn't take long for the elder to stir.

"...Wh...What do you want?" He asked, though it wasn't gruffly. The boy smiled slightly.

"Daddy... Why aren't you sleeping with mommy?" He asked. There was a pause before Kurogane's hand was visible, rubbing the spikes of his own hair out of awkwardness.

"...N... go ask 'im yourself..." He said groggily, the hand dropping down with a soft pat to the kid's head. The boy smiled and walked out of the room, not once taking notice to the teenagers in the other room. It wasn't until the child was out of sight did Kurogane sit up, seeming fully awake by then. He looked over to the children who were standing in the kitchen and frowned.

He stood and went into the kitchen coming rather close to them.

"Listen, the mage told the child we're just visiting you guys." He said quickly, folding his arms. Syaoran nodded.

"We've never seen him before?" He inquired.

"Never." Kurogane clarified. He looked at Sakura to make sure she got the picture as well, and she nodded too. Kurogane turned just then, having cleared it up with the teenagers, only to be startled into silence when he saw Fay, with the boy on his hip, coming down the stairs. Fay had bedhead. And was in his underwear. In his rather tight underwear. He blinked rapidly before pacing off into the living room. Fay didn't seem to notice him going, for he went directly into the kitchen. He smiled brightly to the two children.

"Good morning." He said in greeting, and they both smiled back. The boy hid his face into the bend in Fay's neck. He giggled slightly.

"I guess he wants to say hello later." He said apologetically, making Sakura and Syaoran smile. Fay turned into the living room and noticed Kurogane was already awake. With his shirt off. And laying there so welcomingly. Fay was shaken out of his...noticing... when the little Kurogane jumped from his arms to climb onto bigger Kurogane. The ninja seemed a little ticked by this, but he sighed and sat up, pulling the boy to sit in his lap. Fay slinked over and joined Kurogane on the couch, a smile ever present.

"What is wrong with you, you monkey?" He said in annoyance, making the child pout.

"Monkey?! I'm no monkey!" He whined, making Kurogane smirk slightly.

"And just what makes you different from one?" He teased, making Fay smile slightly. He hadn't imagined something like this if he and Kurogane were to have a child... as a matter of fact... He looked down, slightly disgusted with himself; he had sort of imagined it to go awry, and turn out something like what the boy had described. After all, he DID bring misfortune. He didn't know if he could take that out on Kurogane.

"...y? Mommy~!" Fay was out of his daydreaming in a second, noticing the boy was trying to get his attention. Fay smiled brightly once more.

"Yes, little one?" He asked sheepishly, petting the longer black hair.

"Daddy says I'm a monkey!" He told, making Kurogane frown.

"He's a little snitch, isn't he?" He growled in annoyance, making Fay laugh lightly. It didn't take long for Fay to notice that Kurogane had moved his hand to rest against the couch behind the blond. He blushed and looked down, wondering if he had done it out of instinct, out of the will to humor the boy with the fact that they were 'in love', or simply because of something else.

"AHH! Daddy! What's that!" He heard the child cry, and for some reason he was alert now more than ever. He looked to where the child was pointing and was ungodly thankful that the creature was only Mokona, bounding into the room. She sat on Kurogane's arm and made the boy scream. Kurogane looked with a raised eyebrow to the child.

"What? You're afraid of a meat bun?" He asked skeptically. The boy blinked.

"B-but it's a meat bun that c-can talk!"

"Mokona is not a meat bun! Mokona is Mokona!"

"AHHHH! It did it again!" Fay giggled more as the boy clinged to the father figure of the group. He looked to Kurogane with a smile, sort of liking the fatherly way he treated the child. He then stood, making said child look at him.

"Mommy?" Kurogane looked up as well, noticing Fay was walking toward the children in the other room. He turned and smiled.

"Would you like to meet daddy's friends?" He asked, smile never faltering. The boy hesitated before answering, looking at his 'father'. Kurogane sighed and stood, holding onto the kid with one arm.

"Come on, stop being a girl."

"I'm not a girl!" The boy argued with a pout, holding onto the taller man anyway. Fay smiled wider and led the way into the kitchen. Syaoran was getting plates out of the cabinet and Sakura was placing silverware onto the table. Fay stood in front of the ninja to stroke the soft hair.

"So, are you ready to meet them, now, Kurogane?" Fay cooed to the child, once again making the older twitch. He simply gritted his teeth tightly, knowing he wasn't directly being talked to. Mokona bounded over to sit on the table, dancing happily there. Syaoran and Sakura stopped what they were doing and went over to the child in Kurogane's arms, each smiling brightly.

"Hello there." Syaoran said with a smile. "What's your name?" The boy noticed he was being directly asked and blushed slightly, hiding his face into Kurogane's bare chest. The action sort of made Kurogane annoyed, so he sighed.

"Oi, come on now, stop being a chicken."

"Ah! I'm not a chicken!" The boy retorted, looking at Kurogane with a pout. Kurogane tilted his head to Syaoran.

"Then prove it." He said curtly, looking at the teenager. Little Kurogane flinched, realizing he had been tricked, but he slowly looked to the teenager. Syaoran simply stayed quiet, having a question unanswered. The boy took a deep breath.

"My name is Kurogane D. Suwa! I'm currently this old" he held up his hand "and I live with mommy and daddy on Kotsuro Street!" He blabbered, his courage deflating with each word. Syaoran smiled wider to make sure the boy knew he wasn't going to talk down to him.

"Hello Kurogane-kun! I'm Syaoran, and this is Sakura-hime." He introduced, waving to Sakura. The girl smiled in reply.

"Where on Kotsuro Street do you live, Kurogane-kun?" She asked, looking up to see him eye to eye. The boy looked at her and blushed. He looked over to his 'father' and whispered something in his ear. The older Kurogane blushed slightly and frowned.

"Oi, oi! Stop that! If you're going to complement someone, do it to THEM; not ME!" Kurogane scolded, making the child pout. He turned toward Sakura but didn't look at her.

"...You're very pretty..." he said, his face going scarlet before it once again was turned to go at least an inch into Kurogane's skin. Sakura blinked before she smiled wider.

"Thank you. I'm happy you think so." She said to the child, who looked back to her slowly, his embarrassment present on his face.

"...Y-you wanted to know where I lived.... I... I live in a big house. It's brown. It has... shiny numbers on the door." He looked to Kurogane.

"Daddy says he put them up there so I'd always know why our house was different if something bad happened or if I got lost." Fay looked to Kurogane and couldn't help but smile, knowing if he were in that position he would surely do something like that. Syaoran nodded.

"That's very smart of your father." He said before looking to Sakura.

"... I guess it's time to eat?" He asked her, and she nodded in a reply. Fay took the boy from Kurogane's arms.

"Let's get cleaned up then, ok?" He said happily, walking to the door. Kurogane followed, it being blatantly obvious he wasn't fully dressed for the day.

--

"Mommy!" The boy called from the other side of the door. He patted his hand against the door to get the mage's attention, but it was to no avail.

"Oi!" He heard from down the hall. The little Kurogane saw his 'father' coming toward him.

"Let him get dressed, twerp." He said, picking up the boy with one arm. It had been a week since the boy had come to the household. The adults played the part of the parents, the teenagers played the part of friends, and Mokona played the part of talking meat bun. They had made sure not to let Kuro-chan, what they all called the boy (except for Kurogane, he just called himoi or boy), hear anything about feathers or the fact that they didn't plan to stay. The only problem was; they had no idea where or who the actual parents were or when they'd come searching, if at all, for Kuro-chan. They didn't know anyone who recognized them or the child, and they had no leads to where the true parents had gone. They had tried to visit the home, but something always prevented them. It was as if some unknown force wasn't allowing them to take Kuro-chan home. On top of that, Kurogane and Fay's feelings weren't being the easiest on them either. Having to play the role of parents to one child they shared didn't allow a moment of peace for the turmoil. They had now kissed 14 times, Kurogane made sure to keep track, only so he could kick the mage's ass that many times for it afterwards... although... 9 of those times were his fault... and... 6 was done for no reason...

Kurogane sighed, taking the child to the living room. He had long since moved from the living room couch back to his room. Fay had taken upon himself to let the child share a bed with him. Kurogane thanked the gods that he'd rather share the bed with the kid than to ask him to. It was that day that Fay and Sakura wanted to go out to town with Kuro-chan and let the boys practice their sword fighting. They had all agreed not to around Kuro-chan, in order to separate this world as much as they could from others. As of this moment, Fay was still getting dressed. Kurogane sat down on the couch with Kuro-chan, who was playing with a toy car.

"Your mother will be down in a minute." They heard from the stairs. Kuro-chan looked up to see it was Sakura talking. He smiled.

"Thank you Sakura-san..." He said with a grin. Kurogane rubbed his forehead, almost tired of playing the 'father' role. Almost. Sakura noticed this, and was glad to be of some assistance in this field.

She looked up the stairs and gasped slightly. Kurogane turned in his seat as Kuro-chan jumped up from his place and ran to the stairs. He gaped slightly.

"Mommy! You're so pretty!" Kurogane felt a bit annoyed by this and stood. He wish he hadn't, for doing so allowed him to see Fay. The magician smiled. He was currently wearing loose jeans that casually hugged his hips and normal tennis shoes. What the eye catcher was was his shirt. It was a blue long sleeved shirt that hugged every curve, showing a sliver of pale skin around his waist and his shoulders were revealed openly. His hair was clipped to the side with a couple of Sakura's clips (she had let him borrow them) so the blond locks were out of his eyes. He smiled to his supposed child, and picked him up.

"Shall we get going?" He asked the boy with enthusiasm, and the boy smiled back with determination.

"Yeah! Let's get going!" He said joyfully, throwing his hands about in the air. Sakura smiled before leaving the room, going to grab her light jacket. What caught Fay offguard was Kuro-chan now staring intently at Kurogane, who was still in front of the couch. The taller man blinked and his scowl returned.

"What?"

"...Well?" The boy asked expectantly.

"Mommy's about to go out all alone with no daddy for protection?" He looked at Fay.

"That's what you always said to make daddy give you cooties before you left." Fay blinked and laughed nervously. This was the second time they had done this.

"...O-of course..." He looked to Kurogane and smiled. Kurogane twitched, knowing that was the 'I'm just being a good parent here so play along' smile.

"...'M...Mommy's about to go out all alone with no daddy for protection'..." He said briskly, making Kuro-chan smile. Kurogane didn't move for a moment, before walking over. He wrapped one arm around the blond, kissing him curtly. Kuro-chan gave Kurogane a brief hug, seeing as he was about to pull away soon.

"...'Be careful'..." Kurogane quoted, looking the blond in the eye. Fay smiled, though he knew the line was only a line, and that Kurogane didn't really care if he was or not. Kuro-chan let go of his father figure and allowed Fay to carry him to the other room. He didn't notice that Fay's smile had faltered. Sakura was about to greet the two cheerfully, but when she saw Fay's expression so strained, she couldn't help but frown.

--

Sakura grinned widely as Kuro-chan stared at the fish swimming about it the tank. Fay was standing next to her, admiring the boy's curiosity.

"Is there something wrong, Fay-san?" Sakura asked quietly, looking at the taller man. Fay frowned, looking down.

"No... Nothing's wrong..." He said as the smile forced itself back on his face. Sakura frowned deeper.

"Fay-san... if something's wrong, I'm sure I could help..." He looked at her hesitantly, before sighing. The magician ran a hand through his messy hair and looked at Kuro-chan.

"...This... child... I know he's not mine... I know he's not Kuro-bi's... but..." He looked down.

"I don't think I've ever wanted a game like this to be reality... and oh how I do want it..." He looked back to where Kuro-chan stood, his hands up against the glass.

"I've always known it to not be possible to have a child when the one you love is the same gender as you... not even with my magic..." He whispered. Sakura's eyes widened.

"...So... it's true..." She asked him breathlessly. Fay smiled bitterly, and nodded.

"Yes... I... I have feelings for Kuro-ram..." He said, hardly audible. Sakura turned her body to him.

"Fay-san... why are you afraid of telling him?" She inquired softly, placing a hand on his shoulder. He looked over to her, a look of skeptical surprise hidden behind a kind smile.

"Sakura-chan, I don't think he'd return my feelings in the slightest."

"How do you know?" Sakura asked with a gentle smile. She knew the truth. She knew Fay started feeling this way about Kurogane about six worlds ago, and Kurogane's feelings were blossoming all the same. She knew, because she had had some expertise in this field.

"Just let him know... that you don't want to pretend anymore..." She said slowly, making Fay blush. The blond looked down, his hands tangling themselves with each other.

"He's given you looks before, Fay-san, that I've never expected to see from him..."She added for good favor. Blue eyes looked at her, the smile faltering slightly.

"...What... looks?" The girl smiled.

"Looks of interest. Like today... you really surprised him when you came down the stairs..." Sakura blinked when she realized something about what she said wasn't exactly good. Fay's smile gained a bitter tone once again and he scoffed.

"So he wants my body..." He concluded sharply, not meaning to hurt the teenager with his tone though. Sakura started slightly.

"...Fay-san... You know Kurogane-san better than anyone does, I'm sure. I've not had memories for very long, but I'm sure that Kurogane-san is not a person in on something for material gain." She said curtly, for the first time to Fay she was being blunt and stern about it too. Fay gave her a shocked look.

"..." It was then Kuro-chan came over, holding up a fish cavern he had gotten off the shelf.

"Mommy, I want this." He said happily. Fay looked down and smiled.

"Why would you want this? We don't have any fish." He said, picking up the boy. He looked to Sakura, his expression becoming that of seriousness.

"Fine...I'll... I'll talk to him about it... but I won't tell him how I truly feel until I'm sure he won't kill me for it." Sakura giggled, making Fay smile.

"Something tells me you won't have to worry about that..."

--

Kuro-chan ran up to Kurogane, who was just now coming back in from sword fighting. Kurogane wiped the sweat off his neck with a towel and picked the boy up.

"Oi oi! Careful, boy." He said in annoyance. Said boy smiled sheepishly before showing Kurogane a toy.

"Look what mommy bought me!" Kurogane raise an eyebrow.

"...ok?"

"Mommy said you'd like it too." Kuro-chan said, his red eyes looking over the toy. It was a small action figure, a guy wearing all black and two swords made of plastic sticking out of a holster in the back.

"...What is it supposed to be?" Kurogane asked, making the boy pout.

"It's a ninja! Daddy always said they're the coolest things!" Kuro-chan whined, making the doll attack Kurogane's shoulder. The taller man sighed and carried the boy to the kitchen where Fay and Sakura were.

"You bought him this?" He asked Fay gruffly, pointing to the ninja now stabbing his chest. Fay smiled sheepishly.

"He said he really, REALLY wanted it, and you know I give into that." He explained weakly. Sakura gave him a look that told him to go on, but Fay only shook his head in a worried way. Kurogane raised an eyebrow at this and set the boy down.

"Go play with the princess, we need to talk." He said curtly. The boy nodded and reached a hand out for Sakura to take. She obliged whole-heartedly and led the way out of the kitchen and into the living room. She closed the door and they both could hear the TV turn on, letting Kurogane know it was ok to uphold a conversation.

"What is up with you?" Kurogane asked while folding his arms. Fay smiled apologetically.

"N-nothing... just... Kuro-chan seems so happy with us..." He trailed off. The taller man sighed though, knowing what was bothering the blond.

"You know he's not our kid, why get attached?"

"Because he's just a boy! And he doesn't know!" Fay replied sharply, a look of pain about his face.

"Because his real parents were good-for-nothings and they didn't want him! He was left all alone!" Fay pleaded, his heart twisting in a familiar way. Kurogane frowned. He knew why Fay felt like this; something extremely similar must have happened to the blond. He continued to look sternly at the mage.

"He's got a real family though. We have to find it-"

"We never will." Fay said bitterly. His frown was as plain as day.

"And you know it... there's something about Kuro-chan that you don't like and you think you've hidden it well..." The pale one's words struck Kurogane in the wrong was and he growled.

"You think you know everything now?" He snapped back. Fay's fists clenched.

"That child is mine and yours! I don't care what you think; I'm calling him my own!"

"You know we can't keep him and let him travel with us! And if we DO find his parents, what will you do? Will you keep him from the parents? Will you let them know that you've forcefully adopted him?" Kurogane barked, making the blond somewhat shrivel under his tone.

"Will you let him know your love was a lie?" Fay felt a part of himself break when he heard that and he sank to his knees. Kurogane blinked, not knowing just how much Fay didn't need to hear those words. He took a step back and unfolded his arms. Fay simply stared at the floor, tears starting to well up.

"...I just... didn't want him to be alone..." He smiled bitterly, though a tear escaped and ran down his face.

"I just wanted to know someone cared..." He whispered. Kurogane clenched his fists and sighed, walking over to Fay. The blond saw Kurogane kneel in front of him and jumped slightly when he felt the tan finger lift his chin so they could see eye to eye.

"You're a moron if you really think you were the only one who wanted this to be real." He said lowly, a faint blush on his cheeks. Fay's eyes opened widely when he realized what Kurogane meant. Though he couldn't help but allow more tears to fall, Fay smiled in relief. He leaned his head against Kurogane's chest and tightened his fists up in his shirt.

"Kuro-min..." He whispered lightly. Kurogane looked to the mop of hair.

"Hn?"

"...Is it... ok... to tell you I like you?" He heard Fay say hesitantly, and if he had cared enough to see the blonde's expression he'd have noticed the dark blush etched across pale cheeks. Only, he was only wrapped up in his own emotions.

"...Y...You like me...?" Kurogane asked, though it was more of a statement. Fay nodded against his chest and kept his eyes squeezed closed. He didn't feel Kurogane move for a moment, before tan arms wrapped cautiously around him. Fay's eyes opened wide before he looked up to Kurogane. The ninja was blushing equally dark and looking away.

"I guess... it'd be lying if I told you I didn't feel the same..." He said awkwardly, making Fay's eyes open even wider. The relief once again poured down the blonde's face and he leaned forward, kissing the warrior softly. Kurogane stared at the closed eyelids, though not in surprise. He just simply stared. Fay pulled away and looked down.

"...I... I'm sorry..." He said with a slight smile. Kurogane scoffed.

"You sure look sorry." He retorted, making Fay smiled wider. The ninja surveyed the 'mother's' face before wiping his eyes.

"Well, we know who he gets his crying from." He chided lightly, making Fay laugh. The two men stood and Kurogane leaned against the counter. Fay leaned against him, his hands pressed lightly into the other's chest.

"...If... and when we do find them..." Fay began slowly. Kurogane sighed and once again wrapped his arms around the smaller.

"We'll deal."

"And if they don't want him back?"

"We'll find a solution."

"Your answers are so vague, Kuro-pii."

"So's the path in front of us." Fay was about to comment on this when Kuro-chan opened the door, going to yank on Fay's shirt about something on the TV that he wanted.

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Kurogane closed his door with a sigh, having put the child to sleep. He and Fay had traded this job for about four days. Now Fay slept in the same room with Kurogane, but the blond had dared not asked it of his love interest to share the bed. The ninja decided it alright to do so. Fay was laying haphazardly on the ground, his pillows and blankets sprawled on the floor. The blond looked sleepily up to Kurogane and smiled, stretching his arms out.

"I wanna nudder kiss..." He slurred stupidly in his state of exhaustion. The ninja sighed and bent down.

"What is with you and not getting enough sleep?" The other asked in annoyance. Fay simply smiled. Kurogane smirked.

"It's sleeping on the floor, isn't it?" He commented. Fay didn't hesitate to nod melodramatically. The taller didn't wait a moment before tossing Fay onto the bed. The mage yelped when he landed, but turned to liquid when he felt the sheets. Kurogane could've sworn her heard the other purring. It didn't take long for Fay to realize he was taking Kurogane's place.

"B...But where will you sleep?" He asked groggily. Kurogane pointed to the place next to Fay. It didn't register right of the bat, but Fay sat up straight in no time with his eyes wide.

"W-What?!"

"What do you think, idiot? We're sharing the bed."

"B-But!" "Look." Kurogane began, sitting in the side.

"What happens if that kid comes in here and finds one of us on the floor? We can't tell him twice that we just fell off the bed. Sleeping on the couch proved itself flaw-filled, and any other story has its own mistake. We're supposed to be the kid's 'parents', and he expects us to share a bed. Now move over before I pin you to the wall with my sword." Kurogane threatened. Fay hesitated for a moment before sighing. He knew the taller man was right, but.

"Kuro-chi... I'm not wearing any pants." He brought up, making the other flush scarlet.

"W-what?! why the hell not!?"

"..." He smiled. "In case you wanted to pin me to the wall with your sword."

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Kurogane felt a hand on his chest when he awoke. He looked to the ceiling, realizing it was still night, then to the weight on his bicep. He blinked, seeing it was Fay. Asleep. He sighed in relief when he noticed they were both wearing the clothes they had worn to bed. Which wasn't much. Which wasn't much keeping their bodies separate. The one awake pulled himself away from the sleeping figure and sat up. He ruffled his hair and was about to get out of bed when he felt Fay's hand slip down the ninja's chest and onto his forearm. It clinched the muscle there.

"Kuro-rin..." He heard the sleepy one say. Kurogane looked over his shoulder to see Fay's blue eyes staring at him.

"...hnn?" Kurogane grunted, looking back to the door. He didn't move away though. The hand tightened its grip slightly.

"Stay." He heard the soft voice ask. The ninja once again looked over his shoulder. The mage smiled sleepily before turning to lay on his back. Kurogane felt his cheeks heat up when he saw how open the mage seemed to be. He growled and turned on the bed, crawling over the blond.

"You shouldn't give yourself up like that." He murmured against Fay's lips before kissing them. The pale arms wrapped around Kurogane's neck.

"Would you rather be the one I'm giving myself up to instead of someone else?" Fay muttered back, a playful smile on his lips. Kurogane paused, before planting another kiss.

"...hn..." "Good." Fay whispered, kissing Kurogane again. Kurogane had just slinked his hand down Fay's side when the door creaked open. They both looked in annoyance to each other before breaking the kiss and looking over to the child that was now standing in the room. Kuro-chan tried to climb into the bed.

"M...Mommy... daddy..." He whimpered. Kurogane pulled himself off of Fay and helped the child up to sit on the bed with them.

"What's up, squirt?" Kurogane inquired. Fay frowned.

"Honey? Why are you crying?" The blond cooed to the boy who was now crawling to sit in his lap.

"I... I hurt mommy..." He whined. Fay looked at Kurogane in a panic before looking to the child again.

"Where, little one? Maybe mommy and daddy can help." He said with a faint smile. Kuro-chan pouted his lip out and wasted no minute to start hiking his shirt up off his stomach.

"My...m-my tummy hurts..." He whined again. Fay gasped once the boy's stomach was revealed. He was so shock his eyes started to water. Kurogane's gaze landed on what Fay was staring at and he felt his heart sink into his gut.

It was the mark of Sakura's feather.

Kurogane leaned forward and allowed the child to remain sitting in Fay's lap, only the upper half of him leaned against Kurogane's naked abdomen.

"D-Daddy..." He whimpered. The dark haired man stared down at the boy for a moment before placing a hand on the boy's shoulder. He then looked to Fay, who had let the tears fall once more, though he seemed to not notice them. The only one in the room not sobbing sighed again. He pulled Kuro-chan into his lap and held him closely for a moment, before moving a hand to wipe one of Fay's tears off his face.

"...Stop that..." He said to both of them. The boy's bottom lip quivered.

"You know pain can only last so long." Kurogane said lowly, picking up the boy so he was standing on the bed. It didn't make much difference, though, for Kurogane's eyes came to the child's collar bone. Fay looked at Kurogane.

"B-But..." He whispered.

"That marking..." Kurogane shot him a look, though he knew the boy didn't hear what the blond had said. Fay kept his mouth shut, wiping his own face as he tried to regain his composure.

"K...Kuro-chan, darling... stop crying for mommy..." He muttered, sitting up on his knees. He placed his hands on either side of Kuro-chan's sides, making the boy face him.

"Please stop crying for me..." He said weakly.

"It makes me sad to see you cry..." The boy whimpered some more, but he slowly stopped crying. Once he did, the dark scar of the heart upon his stomach started to glow pink, and just as briefly as it had started glowing, it stopped, showing no trace of where it used to be.

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The boy nuzzled Kurogane's chin subconsciously as he dreamt. He was laying in between the two adults, slumbering like the event beforehand had never happened. The taller version of the boy looked over to Fay, who was slowly stroking the child's face. The blond looked back.

"You... You knew it to be true..." He looked back down the the child.

"You knew it could never last..." It had long been since Kuro-chan had fallen asleep, and it was still nighttime. Kurogane knew it was close to day though; he could hear the birds chirping. "Yeah... I knew..." He placed his hand on Fay's.

"But you did too..." This action made Fay once again look back at his love interest, a frown, for once, scratched across his face. He closed his eyes and sighed, knowing what Kurogane said was true.

"...I never thought we'd lose him because of this..." He said, regarding the child's stomach where the feather's mark used to be.

"We never expect things to happen in the ways they do..." Kurogane explained, closing his eyes as well.

"They just happen." He could feel Fay's eyes on him, so he looked back. The mage was frowning deeply, and it looked like he was about to cry again, but instead, a broken smile spread across his lips.

"Well... at least we got to spend a couple weeks with him..." He whispered, tousling the dark hair again.

"Makes me wonder what it would be like being his actual mother... why would I run away from someone as sweet as this..." He then looked up to Kurogane with a faint blush.

"...And someone as loyal as this..." He moved his hand from the child's head to Kurogane's cheek, gently stroking it.

"I just don't understand..." Fay tried to pull away, but Kurogane caught the pale hand on his cheek. Fay looked at him questioningly, but the taller man just stared back. The blond grimaced slightly, but kept his hand on the tan cheek for a moment longer. It was then Kurogane planted a kiss against the smaller palm. Fay blushed instantly.

"...I don't understand it either..." He heard the rumble of a voice say. Blue eyes looked up to see ruby.

"I wouldn't have left him here... But I don't understand... How I couldn't go after you..."

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Fay awoke once more to the absence of Kurogane AND Kuro-chan. He sat up like lightning, scanning the room for the two. When no tufts of black hair or tan strips of skin were seen, the mage threw off the covers and ran out of his room. He panicked, because Kuro-chan's glowing mark had become more frequent over the course of a week and equally more painful for the child. Kurogane and Fay had mutually decided to keep Kuro-chan with them at night, simply because the feather wouldn't allow Kuro-chan to sleep peacefully otherwise.

The wizard almost tripped twice going down the stairs, his feet not moving fast enough, but he managed to get in the living room. He looked around again, seeing neither supposed husband nor supposed son. His heart raced even faster. Where were they!? Again, he was on the move. Not in the kitchen, not in the bathroom, not in the teenagers' rooms... he stopped dead when he finally found them in the laundry room. Fay was surprised he didn't even notice the removal of their own bedsheets.

Kurogane had just finished packing the bedsheets into the washing machine. They were all stained with traces of blood. Kuro-chan stood next to him, looking like he had just finished sobbing. His stomach was wrapped tightly in bandages. Blood was seeping through in a fat imprint of the feather's mark. Fay almost lost his balance just standing there looking. Kuro-chan spotted him in a quick moment.

"M-mommy!" He choked out, making Kurogane turn. He too was covered in blood. He grimaced when he saw his partner, but he only picked up Kuro-chan and walked over. "It's getting much worse." Kurogane announced. Fay felt his heart drop to his left heel. He exchanged the boy with Kurogane and held the child tightly. Kurogane stood next to them, staring at the boy. Fay looked up to him.

"Is there nothing we can do?" He asked desperately, eyes starting to bubble with tears. Kurogane leaned down and pressed his forehead against the blond locks. He closed his eyes and clenched his jaw, telling the other that there was not. Fay let out a choked sob and his grip on the boy tightened. If this wasn't his child, why did it hurt so much? If this wasn't his child, why did he even give a damn? If this was his child...

If this was his child, he wouldn't have let this happen. Fay looked at Kurogane. The ninja blinked, obviously confused at why the mage was looking at him like that. The wizard pulled away from Kurogane and started walking quickly to the living room. Kurogane followed.

"What are you doing?" He asked briskly, noticing Fay didn't stop once he was in the room.

"I'm going out and I'm taking him with me." The blond said sharply, going up the stairs. Kurogane paused at the bottom of them.

"What the hell!? Why?!" He snapped in confusion. Kuro-chan looked at Kurogane over Fay's shoulder, whimpering in the most pitiful way. It almost made the ninja take the boy from his companion. Fay opened up their bedroom door.

"I have to find them." He was stopped by Kurogane's arm blocking the doorway. Fay's blue eyes squinted and he looked up sadly.

"Kuro-rin... Kuro-chan needs help... they're the only ones who can help-"

"And what if we don't find them?! There isn't much that can be done here!"

"I know!" Fay shouted, closing his eyes. The sharpness of his voice made the taller man close his mouth. The wizard wiped his eyes with his free hand and looked back to Kurogane in determination.

"I know there is most likely nothing we can do... but I have to try..." He said, his voice cracking slightly. Kurogane's jaw clenched once more, being stared down. He sighed finally, nodding.

"Let's go..." He said, rivaling Fay's tone. The mage gave him a thankful look before entering the bedroom. He sat Kuro-chan on the bed, stroking his cheek once before going over to his discarded pants.

"How long do you think we'll have?" Kurogane asked him, going over to his closet to get a shirt. Fay slipped on his pants and started buckling them.

"Judging by the way it's been progressing..." He began, looking over to their adopted son. The boy looked back, his whimpering no longer audible.

"...We have about only 8 hours..."

--

"Where are you guys going?" Mokona cried from Syaoran's shoulder as the two adults passed them at the door. Sakura blinked, having just exited a taxi, when Fay called it down once again. Kurogane stopped in the doorway with Kuro-chan in his arms and looked at Syaoran.

"We'll be back, manjuu. Kid, watch the house." He turned then and followed Fay. Mokona whined.

"But what about Kuro-chan!?" She cried, but no response came. Fay and Kurogane had entered the car and were now on their way to town.

--

Fay looked out the window and sighed. Kuro-chan was now sleeping in his lap, his head on the wizard's thigh. It had been almost 5 hours, and there had been no luck on finding any trace. The blond looked over to Kurogane, who was running his hand through his hair.

"Should we try Kotsuro Street?" He brought up. Kurogane looked over to him.

"How would we get there?" He asked in annoyance. They had tried and to no avail to ge to that street. Detours, hit pedestrians, road closings, newly made sidewalks and roads, anything and everything was keeping them from that street.

"...I don't know..." Fay said slowly. "Hey, lady, how do you plan to pay for this?" Asked the cab driver. Fay looked up, angered at being called a woman, but exhaustion from running about everywhere made him just sigh in response. It was then he heard a click. Fay looked over and gasped. Kurogane was holding a gun to the cab driver's side.

"Just drive, and don't make me give you a present you don't want." Kurogane warned. The cab driver stiffened but nodded, seeming to go a little faster than what he used to. Kurogane leaned back in his seat, placing the gun back in it's hiding spot. Fay looked at him, wide eyed and appalled.

"Where the hell did you get that?!" He hissed lowly, and in very out of character tone. Kurogane looked at him.

"The world before the last one. It was the same time setting." He grinned and looked at the cab driver.

"Apparently threatening in both worlds." He said mockingly. Fay stared at Kurogane, unable to comprehend how or why he had it, let alone how he had hid it for so long. The blond relaxed slightly, glad that Kuro-chan wasn't awake to see any of it.

"Drive us as close as you can to Kotsuro Street." He said suddenly. Kurogane looked at him.

"And how do you plan to get there?" He asked. The wizard bit his lip, but kept silent. He obviously didn't know how. If there was work being done on the roads, then walking through was surely as flawed as driving through. He then felt Kuro-chan move in his lap.

"I... know... a way..." He muttered, sitting up. His little face was scrunched up, obviously still in pain.

"Mommy and daddy... wouldn't be happy if they knew... but I know a way to get in..." He pouted in apology to his mock parents, but Fay simply smiled.

"It's alright, we're not mad at you... just tell us how to get there..."

--

Kurogane slammed the cab door and almost instantly he drove off. Fay glared at his partner.

"We could've done fine without the gun incident!" He snapped curtly, holding onto Kuro-chan's hand. Kurogane shoved his hands into his pockets, frowning.

"And I suppose you could've dealt with being called a woman for the other two hours we were on the road? Plus we didn't have any way of paying!" He retorted, making Fay sigh. The wizard closed his eyes and rubbed them with one hand, aggravated. He felt the boy tug on his hand.

"Mommy, come on... let's go." He said softly. Fay frowned when he heard how weak the boy's voice was, but smiled quickly to make sure the boy didn't know he was upset. The child led them to a field full of trash, a small path made out of broken and rotted wood parted it. Kurogane and Fay looked about cautiously, unable to understand how the child had found such a pathway. Kuro-chan smiled.

"It's just a few ways up this way..." He said happily, though he looked tired. Fay wanted to pick him up again and hold him, but he knew that the child would only want to be put down so he could lead the way. Kurogane growled slightly, his hair sticking up on end.

"This place is filled with things that aren't wanted..." He said lowly, so only Fay could hear him. Fay nodded, knowing what he meant. The yard was full of ghosts, all unwelcoming ghosts. This place was dead. It even reeked of disease and rot of human flesh. Fay could even bet that if Sakurawas here she'd be able to talk to some of them. It was the complete opposite of the other side of the large city where they had stayed for over a month. Kuro-chan led them to the other side of the field where a fence was.

"Here we are!" He said, smiling brightly. Fay gasped when the boy fell to his knees.

"Kuro-chan!" He cried, gathering the boy in his arms. The young child pointed to a lopsided piece of fence on the wall.

"Th-through... there...." He said quietly. Kurogane walked passed Fay and Kuro-chan and broke the piece of wood out. He tossed it aside and crouched through, leading Fay into the other side. Kurogane stared at what was in front of him. Fay moved his hand to cover his mouth. Kuro-chan smiled and jumped down from Fay's arms and began to run through the yard. There was a child's playground in the back, worn, dirty, and grafitti written all over the side. The grass had grown thick and tall, almost hiding the small child. There were scattered play toys and other objects amongst the grass as well. There was no house. Fay and Kurogane walked slowly though the grass, looking at what was once the building. Instead of a tall mansion like what surrounded the area, it was a pile of rubbage. Burnt, broken, demolished. Kuro-chan was already halfway though it. Fay chased after him, seeing as the boy was trying to uncover a piece of what was a supposed bed. The child sat on it and would've collapsed to the side had it not been for Fay catching him.

"M...Mo...mm..."

"Hush now, little one, you're so weak..." He said, trying to smile to comfort the small Kurogane. The boy's shirt was now beginning to show blood. Fay felt his eyes start to brim with tears. The boy smiled and turned his head, reaching for something about the rubble. Kurogane walked through and saw the boy stretching for an object, so he plucked it out of an old and rotting cupboard. It was a photograph.

"...Oi, mage... look at this..." He said unhappily, showing the photograph to Fay. The wizard blinked.

"It's... us..." He said slowly, taking the picture. He and Kurogane were standing together, Kurogane's arms were wrapped around Fay from behind. Fay was smiling brightly and Kurogane was gently smirking. The only thing different about these two was that Fay's hair went down to his waist and Kurogane had a tattoo of something in this world's writing on his shoulder. Fay looked at Kurogane with a frown; there was no Kuro-chan.

"That... that's mommy an... daddy... an.. me..." The child poked the picture where Fay was. He had his hands on his stomach. Fay felt a tear slip down his cheek.

"You al...always said I... was with you..." He heard the boy say. Fay could feel blood starting to stain his pants.

"I... was in... your tummy... now..." He looked up to his supposed mother. Fay smiled down, tears now claiming his cheeks.

"Now you're here." He said, taking the child's hand and pressing against his left breast. Kurogane's jaw clenched and he sat on the ground in front of the other two. He looked at the child, who in turn looked back.

"And... daddy too?" Kuro-chan asked. The dark haired man nodded. The boy giggled and looked at Fay again.

"Then... we all love... each other... and... we... are... always... a.. family..." He said slowly, his eyes starting to close. Kurogane leaned forward and placed his hand on the child's head.

"It's ok..."The warrior began, his voice threatening to show his true emotions.

"...You can sleep now... Kurogane... m...my son..." He said weakly, making Fay look at him. The boy hiccuped and looked at his supposed father, tears slipping down his pale cheeks.

"You..." He began, but Kurogane only gave a smirk. Fay leaned down and kissed the boy on the forehead.

"M..mommy..." He heard the child begin.

"C...Can.. you sing.... m...my s...song...?" Fay looked over to Kurogane, who looked back and then to the child. Fay searched his thoughts for a childhood song, and finding only one, he began.

"Baby mine... don't you cry..." He felt himself start to shake with each breath.

"Baby mine... dry your eyes..." He saw Kurogane take hold of the child's hand.

"Rest your head, close to my heart..." He let out a sob, seeing Kuro-chan's head lean to one side.

"Never to part..." The child exhaled.

"baby of mine..." Fay stopped singing that instant, his tears not ceasing once. They littered the boy's unmoving face, falling down to mingle with the child's own tears. Fay once again leaned down, kissing the boy long on the forehead. He held Kuro-chan's head and shoulders close to his chest, weeping silently. Kurogane looked to the ground, unable to mirror his partner's actions. He merely stayed in silence, unshed tears being held back by a breaking pride. Fay found himself unable to let go of Kuro-chan. The boy's body stopped seeping blood from the wound, but that didn't stop it from becoming stained. Kurogane finally looked up, his eyes red from forcing himself not to follow Fay's demonstration.

"M...Mage... let go of the boy..." He said slowly. Fay looked up, then to the child in his arms. He nodded, lifting Kuro-chan's head from his lap so he could stand. He laid the child's head on the bed as gently as he could, before collapsing in front of Kurogane. He wrapped his arms around the tan neck and wept, not knowing exactly why he felt like it was his own son. He saw the picture of the real parents, so why was he so hurt? Kurogane held himtightly, burying his face into the crook of Fay's neck. He took deep breaths in order to stay calm. He wished so much that the child had lived. He didn't even give a damn if the child found his real parents or if they had to take him with the group to different worlds, just not to fucking die...

He looked up slowly to the body, feeling the urge to see it growing deep in his stomach. He flinched slightly when he saw the body was glowing.

"O-oi mage... look..." The dark haired man said, pulling Fay off of him so he could see as well. Fay rubbed his eyes and looked, his mouth falling slightly open. The boy's body was glowing a bright yellow. He then began to glow so bright that his body was no longer visible. Instead it was just a ball of light. Fay turned to the glowing orb and slowly reached out to it. Before he could lay a finger on it, it began to morph into something else. Kurogane pulled the wizard back, weary of just what this thing was. Their eyes both widened when it was done.

There sat a transparent Kuro-chan, glowing a bright yellow. He was smiling, though he was no longer living. In his hands was the orb of the feather, held loosely in little fingers. He stood then, getting off the bed slowly. He walked over to Kurogane and Fay and held out the feather for Fay. The magician, unable to comprehend that well, accepted it slowly. The boy smiled wider before giggling and tilting his head to the side. Kurogane stared at the boy a little more, wondering why he was still there. Kuro-chan stared back, before turning his head to the broken part of the fence. Kurogane choked on his own breath.

There stood glowing images of that world's Kurogane and Fay. Fay smiled widely and looked up to that Kurogane. He nodded and allowed Fay to bend down on his knees. Kuro-chan let out a small laugh before running through the rubble over to them. Once again, Fay reached out his hand, but Kurogane stopped him. The two still alive exchanged glances before looking over to Kuro-chan, who ran into the transparent Fay's embrace. They hugged for a moment before Fay stood and took Kuro-chan's hand. That Kurogane ruffled the boy's spiky hair and Kuro-chan laughed. They all turned then, the glowing Kurogane leading the way though the broken fence. Fay scrambled to his feet.

"W-Wait!" He cried, taking off before Kurogane could stop him. With a sigh of frustration, the dark haired man followed. Fay almost tripped when trying to get through, but he managed to make it to the broken fence. He peered out and blinked, feeling a tear once again fall. Kurogane looked as well, his mouth becoming slightly agape.

The field was aglow full of spirits. All but the small family were blue. That Kurogane and Fay took Kuro-chan to the middle of the field and Fay picked him up and smiled. The transparent Kurogane placed a hand on Fay's shoulder and gave a small smirk, before all three looked over to the other Kurogane and Fay. Kuro-chan gave a small giggle before he waved.

~Goodbye, other mommy and daddy!~ Fay felt his heart skip a beat, but he couldn't help but smile and wave back.

"G...Goodbye, little Kuro-chan..." He whimpered, having to lean against Kurogane's chest to keep himself standing. The other Fay smiled wider and nodded.

~Thank you for taking care of him... we were so lost without him...~ The living Kurogane clenched his teeth, but nodded. The blue spirits all raised their heads and one by one they began to vanish slowly. The ghost Fay looked up to his lover and offered him a smile.

~We were wrong to fight... but we're one family once more...~ He looked back to the other two standing in the field.

~Please, whatever you do... don't let quarreling break up whatever it is you have... it may be the only thing you have left...~ He gave the other Fay a serious look.

~And whatever you do... don't run away from him...~ The other Fay blinked and looked to his Kurogane, who looked back with a serious expression. Fay nodded slowly and glanced over to the other two. The transparent Fay smiled again looking relieved. Their feet and legs both started to disappear.

~Thank you...~ Fay said again before the wisps of yellow light followed the blue ones up into nothingness. The two adults watched as the hollow lights slowly but surely vanished, leaving the trash heap in the field lonelier than when they had first come. Fay let his vision fall back to the ground, his hands cupping around the feather as he brought it to his chest. He was silent for a moment, and Kurogane could've sworn he stopped breathing. Finally a sob racked the stale air and Fay's body shook. The blond turned slightly and buried his face in the broad chest that was open behind him. The tanner man felt his cheeks heat up slightly at the contact, but he slowly wrapped an arm around the magician. Red eyes scanned the field again slowly as Fay's sobs quieted into mere gasps and sniffs. Kurogane looked down when the other man's shoulders stopped shaking.

"...Nn... We... should probably look through the house rubble... to see how this came about..." He offered, subconsciously rubbing circles into Fay's shoulder blades. The other relaxed into the movements and he nodded, knowing it would be best to. They both went back though the broken fence calmly and silently and began to look over the crumbled house. Kurogane upturned several large pieces of walls and ceiling, looking for any clues. He looked up when he heard Fay gasp.

"What is it?" The ninja asked, dusting his hands free of debris. Fay frowned and showed Kurogane a half burnt newspaper article. The swordsman looked at it quizzically.

"...I can't read it..." He said dully, making Fay sigh. He pointed to a gray picture above an article. It was the same picture Kurogane was still holding onto.

"It says here, 'family burned alive in home'..." He had to take another breath before continuing.

"...'father, Youou Suwa, 27, had tried to pull wife, Yuui Flowright (legally changed name to Fay Flowright at age 15 and Fay Suwa at age 20), 25, out of window. Smoke inhalation killed Mrs. Suwa while the burns killed Mr. Suwa. Their son, Kurogane Suwa, 5, was already outside. When not seeing either of his parents, Kurogane was seen running back in. A firefighter reported later that little Kurogane had been impaled though the chest by falling rubble'. Their bodies were survived by firefighter captain Kusanagi..."

Fay lowered his hand, frowning deeply as he couldn't read any more from the burns. He looked to the dark haired man and sighed.

"...It seems K...Kuro-chan was already..." He said weakly, trailing off. Kurogane nodded before looking over to the bed where they had last seen Kuro-chan's body. He walked slowly to it and looked it over.

"If he was already dead..." He began. "The feather must've worked like it did on that guy." Fay turned his vision toward the other man.

"You're talking about Yasha-ou..." The blond looked down to the feather he was holding. Clasping it tightly to his chest, he closed his eyes. His heart ached, but at the same time he was glad that Kuro-chan had found his real parents. Kurogane walked back over to the lithe man and placed his hands in his pockets.

"We're not needed here anymore, mage... let's go..." He said lowly, for once trying to be gentle for the other's feelings. Fay nodded and began to walk out the way they had come. It didn't take them long to walk to an accessible road to catch a cab. It was dark now, and it smelled of a great thunderstorm. Fay closed the door right when a shock of lightning shot out overhead. Kurogane watched as the blond slowly moved to lean against him, blue eyes holding back more unnecessary tears. The taxi driver didn't once look back to the men, seeming preoccupied by his phone. It made Kurogane wonder if he would even ask for money after the ride.

Fay sighed and closed his eyes. His body shook as a muffled sob escaped, and Kurogane frowned.

"You shouldn't be crying, mage." He said gently, making Fay look up to the tan man. Kurogane saw an escaped tear trail down the pale cheek, so he lifted a hand and brushed it away.

"He's with his real parents. We had nothing to do with him." The wizard frowned deeper but nodded, looking down.

"...I... I can't help... but envy his true parents..." he sniffed, making the warrior cock an eyebrow in curiosity. Fay gave a weak smile.

"They had him... and... with him... they realized not to fight anymore..." Fay wiped his eyes and wrapped his arms loosely around himself.

"I... I want something to make us stop fighting too... but something tells me... that we never will..." Kurogane grimaced, watching as the mage sat forward to pay the cab driver what little money they had on them. Fay got out quickly as to not be stopped by Kurogane, though the ninja didn't seem to want to try.

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"I'm glad he's still happy..." Sakura said solemnly, a small smile on her façade as Fay finished telling them about what happened to Kuro-chan. The mage mimicked her grin weakly before it fell again. Syaoran kept Mokona in his hands, her silently letting small tears roll down her round body. Fay held up the feather.

"You... most likely don't want it... but... here, Sakura-chan, Syaoran-kun, this is the feather that kept him alive for us..." The boy nodded and took the feather. Mokona sniffed and jumped from the brown haired teenager to Fay's shoulder.

"If he was kept alive by the feather, why didn't Mokona go 'mekkyo'?" She asked quietly. Fay shook his head, not wanting to give it any more thought than he had to. Syaoran walked over to Sakura, but didn't give her body the memory.

"Perhaps there was something that needed to be done before the feather allowed itself to be seen or felt..." He offered. Sakura smiled and nodded, accepting the feather Syaoran then placed in front of her. It dissolved into her body, and the boy caught her easily as she fell unconscious. Fay sighed and stood, removing Mokona from his shoulder.

"I need rest..." He said with a soft smile to the creature. She gave him a worried look before he left the presence of the three.

--

Kurogane was sitting on his bed in his room, back against the wall as his mind replayed every memory of the little boy. He sighed when knowledge of him not being his son flooded through his mind. He also wondered vaguely if Fay's confession was real or if it was just his emotions from the boy playing tricks on his mind. He wondered briefly why he was so upset over the thought of the blond wasn't his partner. After all, wasn't he supposed to not like anyone in the group? And wasn't he always annoyed by the wizard? Didn't he want to go home alone? For a second more, he contemplated not liking Fay, but only frowned when he heard his conscience laughing at him.

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The blond sat up in bed, mumbling quietly as he was suddenly awoken. He looked up to the intruder and smiled.

"Sakura-chan... what is it?" He asked quietly. The girl smiled and sat on the bed next to him. "It's been two days now, how are you feeling?" She questioned, making Fay's smile fall a little.

"It still hurts a little to think about him, but I know now Kuro-chan is happy where he is..." Sakura's smile widened a little, but she gave him a curious look when the blond looked away.

"Sakura-chan... I'm getting over the fact he wasn't my child... after all, I'm a man, I can't have kids, not even with my magic." He sat up more, blushing lightly in the dark room. "But... I can't help but be jealous... of his parents..." He trailed off silently, making Sakura blink. She smiled brightly, placing a hand on Fay's.

"Fay-san... don't be envious of them..." She cooed, making the blond blink.

"They're going to be a family wherever they are..." She said knowingly. Fay's eyes widened as he understood what she meant. Blushing more, he looked away.

"I-I can't possibly ask that of Kuro-san..."

"You don't need to ask him, Fay-san..." Sakura said gently. The wizard looked at the brunette who only smiled more.

"I think he already knows..." She finished, allowing Fay to only look at her. He felt his heart skip a beat before a smile broke out on his face. He nodded and gripped the girl's hand tightly.

"I'll go to him then, tomorrow..."

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Kurogane had just buttoned his pants when he heard a knock come to his door. The smoothness of it made him assume it was the blond.

"Come in..." He said briefly, moving away from the closet to sit on the bed. Fay entered, blushing lightly. Kurogane raised an eyebrow as the magician moved into the room and closed the door, staring at the floor.

"...What is it?" Kurogane asked, wondering what the lithe man was contemplating. Fay only blushed more before walking over slowly to stand in front of Kurogane on the bed.

"I... I would like to talk..." He began. The ninja nodded and allowed the blond to sit next to him on the bed. Fay stared at the ground as he felt red eyes upon him.

"Kuro-chu... I..." He began, but he couldn't find words to help explain. His face burned brighter as he felt more and more that this was a bad idea. Kurogane waited for a continuation, but when he received none, he only sighed and looked away. Fay closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"Kuro-chu, Ireallylikeyouandwaswonderingifwecouldyouknowstaytogetherand-"

"Slow it down, mage. I can hardly understand you." Kuroganesaid lamely, frowning. He had indeed caught what the blond was trying to say, he just wanted Fay to chill a little more. He didn't understand why the magician was so worked up over this; hadn't they displayed previous amounts of suggestive affection? And didn't they already tell each other their feelings? Fay shook his head and stood.

"N-nevermind, I'm stupid, I'll just go..." He said as he quickly walked to the door. Kurogane was on him in a flash and pushed the door shut as soon as Fay had opened it. The pale man bit his lip and turned to Kurogane slowly. Red eyes met blue as they looked at each other in silence. Fay's eyes widened as Kurogane brought their faces closer together.

"You're right... you are stupid..." He mumbled, touching his lips to Fay's. The other man made a sharp noise of surprise, but his eyes fluttered closed as he melted into Kurogane. The pale arms slinked around Kurogane's neck as their kiss became deeper. Kurogane pulled the blond away from the door as he wrapped his arms around Fay's back, holding him against his body. The kiss didn't stop until Fay pulled away to breathe again. He looked with lazy eyelids to the ninja.

"K...Kuro-min..." He said quietly, making Kurogane blush a little. He gave a small smirk and allowed Fay to rub his nose against his own.

"Who said we needed someone else to keep us from fighting?" He grunted as Fay laid his mop of hair against the dark chest.

"Well... wherever he is... I'm sure he's happy that mommy and daddy aren't fighting anymore..."

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Dl what a lame ending. I'm sorry it seemed rushed ._. I was trying to finish it, but I couldn't think of a good way to... -shotDED-

This was supposed to be a Mother daughter talk chapter, and I tried really hard to incorporate that in here, but... Idk if it worked DX


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